The Age of Innocence
by Moody Shadow
Summary: Kasaru's family has always been the plague of the whole village. What fateful events lead to Tanis' uprising to being the most feared villain of all the East? Why is he after Kasaru and what hidden secrets will be revealed? Kasaru's beginnings, and then some. This whole story replaces the first chapter of Kasaru's Legacy. Rated T for Language and Suggestive Themes. -OC's- R
1. Prologue

Prologue

"Well, this is nice, isn't it?"

In that instant, the atmosphere in the room immediately darkened. The speaker hurriedly shrunk back in his seat as grumbles were heard across half the room.

The large, dimly lit hut of the King and Queen of the Ko-Ri Valley tribe was currently filled with a various series of blankly staring lions lining the walls as three nervous South Chinese Tigers sat at a small, round table across from a hulking figure slumped over in his seat.

Currently, the middle tiger, a strong middle aged male glared warningly at a smaller, ruffled young adult male; the speaker of those very damning words. The middle tiger's name was Oranis, the leader of the Tiger's tribe, of the Kin-Do valley. To his left was his first lieutenant, Panai, a well trained and professional soldier; a rarity for the peaceful tigers. To Oranis' right was his best friend, and somewhat of an odd fellow, Hoyt.

The tigers immediately snapped their heads to the front when a low rumble emanated from the figure before them across the room. Oranis gulped and smiled hopefully as the figure raised its head and its deep golden eyes opened to a snarl. He leaned into the light, and with such a menacing face, asked quite calmly, "Do you think this is a joke?"

Hoyt visibly shook as he flung his head side to side frantically and Oranis put his arm across Hoyt's chest softly and answered flatly "Of course not... sir, Ragnarok. We're merely here to discuss our politics, right?"

Panai nodded slowly as Ragnarok shrunk back into his seat with a slight grunt. "That is right."

Oranis sighed and continued with a hesitant yet urgent tone, "Our tribes are on the brink of war. And war... is the last thing our people need. Our kind is not for this kind of violence. We strive for peace. There must be some way to have your forces from invading our land; invading what is rightfully ours!"

A dry laugh made the three cringe as Ragnarok stood up and paced the length of the room, putting his full weight onto a withered cane. "You think that land is yours? What makes you think that? I have every right to expand my kingdom and take what is not already taken."

Oranis surged on, adding weight to his words, "Our people have lived on this land for thousands of years! Families have began, and ended here for generations! What do you mean, it isn't taken!"

Ragnarok's insane chuckling rang around the room as a few of the lion guards smirked as he continued "That means nothing to me. I do not see any presence worth preserving. Nothing is out of reach for the Ko-Ri Lions."

Oranis' unmanageable rage was coming forth as he threw his chair over and stood up to his full, impressive height. Hoyt's eyes widened and he cowered under the table as he knew Oranis' words could not be stopped; and he knew the consequences.

"You're the outsiders! You have no right..."

* * *

"Is he seriously that stupid?"

Hazel chuckled as Cliff shook his head in dismay at Oranis' bad judgment. "You don't say that to my father!"

Cliff smiled and pulled her close as they walked away from the entrance of the hut, where Hazel's father's screams could still be heard from miles away. They hurried along the narrow streets of the young buildings, into the broad pathways of the old buildings, which lead right into their own home. Cliff smiled as he pushed the creaky wooden door open and led Hazel inside. They took in the view of their new house that Ragnarok gave them as a wedding gift. Hazel smirked as two pairs of eyes gleamed at them from the dark of the corner of the adjacent room. A figure lit a torch, and the two eyes became scolding mirror images of Hazel and Cliff.

"Hello sister"

"Hello cousin"

Hazel sauntered up to her sister, Helsa as Cliff slouched over to his cousin, Clive.

Hazel grinned and asked, already knowing the answer, "What are _you_ doing here?"

Helsa sighed and glanced around the intricate furnishings and replied wistfully "Oh, you know... just looking around."

Hazel chuckled and whispered loudly "You know, if you wanted it, you two should have gotten together earlier, like I said."

Helsa scowled at her twin and shook her head as she pushed her way past Hazel, Clive's arm clutched in her paw.

Cliff asked genuinely as they left, "Where are you going?"

Helsa replied somewhat angrily yet playfully, "Back to our humble abode. This thing is much too... lavish, blech!" She stuck her tongue out and slammed the door behind them.

Hazel's grin widened as she turned to Cliff seductively and said, "Well, we're all alone... and you _know_ how much my daddy has been bugging us for a grandchild!"

Cliff blushed visibly and gasped, "Hazel!"

Hazel turned away, slightly abashed and replied, "What? I'm just saying..."

Cliff smiled softly and pulled her close and stared into her shiny green eyes and blinked as their intensity grew as she wrapped her lips around his, and softly threw him down onto the couch. Cliff reached around with his free hand and snuffed out the candles as Hazel threw a thin blanket over the two of them.

"Well, I guess its now or never..."


	2. The Beginning

The Beginning

*4 Months Later*

"Things aren't improving with those damn tigers, I can't rest now!"

Ragnarok laid in his bed surrounded by his advisers and guards. Hazel and Helsa were both there, and both pregnant, as Ragnarok fondly reminded them. However the hardened soldier and leader he may be, he was surprisingly a kind soul when it came to his family. He wanted grandchildren more than anything, next to being there when they were born. He knew his time was coming though, and soon, for he was already in poor health. He had been in bed rest ever since Hazel and Cliff came forward to tell him the good news. They all figured it was too much for his heart to take.

The only other thing on his mind at the moment was the increasingly fragile situation they were putting themselves into with the tigers of the Kin-Do valley. Oranis and his wife, Liza had just had their daughter, Mara. They were striving to achieve peace, for her sake. They didn't want their precious daughter growing up around all this senseless violence. Hazel and Cliff felt the same; however much they were told to despise the tigers, they wanted nothing but peace for their child.

"Daddy, you're not well. Please, allow Cliff and I to handle things for now." Hazel assured her father.

Helsa shot her sister and brother-in-law a dirty look across the room. She immediately stepped forward and added "Yes father, we're _all_ more than capable of taking care of the situation."

Ragnarok grumbled and settled back into bed with a sigh, "You're right. You're both right. You four best take good care of my kingdom while I make a recovery."

Hazel and Helsa smiled down kindly at their father, and Cliff and Clive both bowed deeply before saying together, "Of course, sir." They both scowled at each other before the four of them left the hut. Hazel and Cliff walked hand in hand down the path while Helsa and Clive huddled together closely. They then headed down the paths leading to their respective homes with eyes rolling and tongues out at each other.

Hazel sighed contently when Cliff opened the door and guided her inside, and sat her down on the couch. "Thank you, honey."

Cliff smiled in reply and sat besides her. "So... any thoughts?"

Hazel looked at him questioningly and inquired, "About what?"

Cliff shrugged and replied flatly "This whole situation."

Hazel shrugged in turn and replied "I don't know why my father insists of provoking the tigers to war. He seems so delusional; he's sure its them who's making the problems. The tigers are horrible, but how doesn't he see this? I just want our baby to be able to live a normal life, of peace and love. That's... that's what I wanted, but I never had it."

Cliff hugged her tight and whispered into her ear as she laid her head on his chest, "I'm going to do everything I can to make that happen. I love you..."

* * *

Meanwhile across town, Helsa and Clive where having a similar discussion, with drastically different results.

"What are we going to do about those two?" Clive paced the room as Helsa pouted on the bed of their significantly smaller room to her sister's.

Helsa scowled and replied dryly "What exactly do you mean, Clive?"

"Those two are always trying to take the power! I mean, what about us? Why don't we ever have a say in things?"

Helsa groaned and threw herself down on the bed and rolled her eyes "I know, babe, but its not important now. I mean, I'm pregnant! What about our child?"

It was Clive's turn to groan. "That's not exactly the most important thing right now! We have to take control! We have to do something, or we're going to be forgotten and left behind!"

Helsa was getting annoyed. She replied sarcastically "Why don't we just kill my _sister_, and your _cousin_, then we'd be able to do _anything_! Geesh!"

Clive gasped and spun around to her with a shocked expression as he mumbled "You're not serious..."

Helsa threw her hands into the air and screamed "Of course I'm n-"

Clive cut her off as a huge grin spread across his face and he rubbed his paws together and explained "Of course! You're genius Helsa!"

Helsa flung herself into his face and frantically exclaimed "No! I was kidd-"

Her words were cut off when Clive pulled her into a suffocatingly tight hold and she yelped in pain as the baby kicked her insides from the immense pressure its father was putting on it. Her expression lightened when she felt his hot breath on her shoulder and his whole body shaking with eagerness. She'd never seen Clive so passionate about anything before.

_Seriously? Killing someone is when he gets like this? Not even when we make lo-_

Her thoughts were interrupted by a horrible pain in her stomach. She groaned and fell to the floor. She glanced up at Clive who was still stock still with the glee of their plans for taking control, when he felt her fall from his grasp and he saw her writing on the pain in agony. She weakly raised her head and managed "I-I think its h-happening!"

Clive gasped and pulled her off the ground to her feet and asked in disbelief, "Already? Its too early!"

Helsa screamed in pain and waived his question away. "Get me to the... d-doctor! AGH!"

* * *

Hazel smiled, licked her lips and sat up as Cliff rearranged his clothes once again. "Mmm, thank you, love."

Hazel grinned and replied quietly "Thank _you."_

Cliff smirked at her and walked off into the kitchen. "Want anything?"

Hazel thought for a second before she replied with her fangs bared, "Yeah, got any of that Rabbit left?"

Cliff exclaimed "You betcha!"

"Thanks!"

Cliff walked out with a slab of meat on a plate and handed it to Hazel, who immediately tore in with her claws and shoved the meat in her mouth.

Cliff watched with amusement, "Whoa, hungry?"

Hazel smiled behind all the blood and fibers dripping from her mouth, "Yep!"

Cliff reached in to take some, but Hazel swatted his hand away and growled quietly.

Cliff smirked and replied playfully "Geesh!"

Hazel smirked back and kept shoving the meat into her maw. When she finished, she let out a loud belch and sat back, satisfied. She looked down at her stomach and patted it softly and murmured "Eat up."

Her soft smile turned suddenly to a heinous cry of pain and she doubled over, her eyes wide and her mouth open. She curled up on the ground and her eyes widened even further as she clutched her stomach and released the half-digested meats and juices from her body all over the floor.

Cliff watched in shock, then disgust, and finally sympathy and worry. "Whoa..."

Hazel wiped her mouth and raised her arms for him to pick her up, and said weakly "I-I don't think its the f-food! I think I-I'm going into l-labor!"

Cliff's jaw dropped and replied hastily "I totally forgot! Its about time! Hold on, I'll get you the doctor!"

"No, t-there's no time! Take me to d-daddy's home, h-his doctor will have to d-do it!"

Cliff nodded and swallowed nervously as he bent over and picked up Hazel, and threw open the door. He raced past the revering lions in the street and made his way to Ragnarok's home. He burst through the entrance and looked around for people to help. Nobody was around but the statues of Ragnarok's late wife, Ascensia. Cliff raced up the stairway to the sickroom, and interrupting a meeting, placed Hazel on the only other available bed.

Ragnarok's low rumble of a growl emanated from the bed he occupied, surrounded by advisers and guards. "What's going on here?"

Cliff bent over to catch his breath as Hazel kept writhing and screaming in pain on the bed. "Sir... its Hazel, she's... gone into labor."

Ragnarok's expression immediately lightened up and he attempted to get up from bed, but fell back with a grunt. His main adviser, Dio, placed his paw on his shoulder and pushed him back softly and murmured "You need to rest, sir. You're in no shape to get up."

Ragnarok snarled at him, and Dio fell back quickly in fear, and he tried to get up again. Cliff hurried over and said softly, "Sir, please, just rest. You'll see Tanis when he's born."

Ragnarok's brow furrowed, but he fell back and complied. "So... you've chosen a name?"

Cliff blushed as Hazel scowled at him angrily and then continued to scream in agony. Cliff continued sheepishly "Yes, we have. We were hoping to wait, but I guess its out..."

* * *

Helsa laid in the small, rundown hospital with a painful grimace on her face as Clive sat beside her on a chair with a bored expression and a sigh.

A nurse walked in and took to Helsa, making sure everything was ready for the birth. Helsa glanced around in disgust at the rotting wood that made up the "hospital".

"Why did you take me to this dump, Clive? Daddy has a perfectly fine sick room that we could have had our little Shawn born into."

The nurse scowled at Helsa and spoke up defensively, "Well, if your father would give to our people, and not stock up all our resources into fighting a pointless war, then maybe your child could still be born here, but in comfort... And cleanliness." She rolled her eyes as she squashed a bug when she put down her box of supplies for the doctor to aid in the birth.

Clive's head perked up slightly at the name of his unborn child. "Shawn? I thought we had agreed on Solomon."

Helsa's lip curled in disgust and she shook her head, "Ew, no! Our little boy is Shawn, and that's that!"

Clive rolled his eyes and muttered "Whatever..."


	3. Welcome Home

Welcome Home

*3 Days Later*

"Aww, look Cliff! He knows you! Tanis wants his da-da!"

Hazel was holding out their newly arrived baby to his father, who was somewhat reluctant to take him. The small, quiet, bright eyed cub looked up at his father intently and with a curious glance at his mother, settled into his Cliff's arms.

"He stinks."

Hazel rolled her eyes at him from the bed where she laid to rest, and replied "Then do something about it!"

Cliff sniffed Tanis' bottom and immediately withdrew. "He's got some in his fur."

Hazel groaned and cried, "Do I have to do _everything_?"

She sat up and took the baby from Cliff's loose grip and laid him down on the bed to remedy the issue. Cliff sighed in relief and muttered "I'm not having anymore kids."

Hazel snorted and countered "We'll see about that!"

Cliff groaned and collapsed on the bed beside her.

"There! All better!"

"Keep it down over there, will you?" Ragnarok exclaimed. "I'm trying to rest."

Cliff was just about to agree, when Dio walked in with a scowl, followed by Oranis, Hoyt, and Panai. Behind them walked Oranis' wife, Liza carrying their newborn child, Mara. Ragnarok roared loudly, at which Dio scuttled behind Panai and cowered. Panai scowled and threw him back out front.

"P-please calm down, sir. T-they're just here for a peace offering." Dio choked out.

"Is that right?"

Oranis stepped forward and nodded eagerly. "Yes. My wife and I have come here to offer you the highest honor we possibly can, in hopes of peace." He gestured to Liza, who stepped forward with tears in her eyes. Oranis continued with a heavy sigh, "We offer you our daughter, Mara, to your eldest grandson."

Nobody seemed to be shocked, other than Hazel and Cliff. They knew what that meant. Ragnarok had to accept it, otherwise it meant imminent war, for as long as anyone alive, including their newborn child, will see. They also knew that it meant they had to give up Tanis, the elder of Shawn by minutes, to the Tigers.

Hazel uttered softly, "N-no!"

Liza looked at her with massive amounts of relief and gratitude, and mouthed "Thank you."

Hazel ignored her, and turned to her father with such urgency that the room quieted and listened to her pleas. "Father, you cannot do that! I cannot bear to lose Tanis!"

Ragnarok looked at her with regret and surprisingly answered, quietly, "I'm sorry, but you know what it means to refuse and I am sick of this endless fighting. We've lost too many..." He sighed and continued, "Let's make this formal."

The room emptied until nobody but the Lion family, the Tiger parents and child, as well as Ragnarok and Hoyt.

"Let us begin."

* * *

Clive and Helsa, still confined within the rundown hospital, sat with their newborn son clutched in his mother's grasp.

"Pssh, please Clive. He doesn't know who you are."

Clive pulled his arms back from the child as Shawn started to cry at the big, hulking lion that was his father. Clive retreated to his chair and sat down to pout. Helsa rolled her eyes and turned away from Clive to feed their hungry child. Just as poor Shawn latched on, a young nurse burst into their room and announced excitedly within a single breath, "Something big is going on at the Royal House! I think you'd best be off, Clive, sir!" She set off quickly out of the room, with Clive hot on her heels.

Helsa huffed and shook her head as she continued to feed her newborn child.

* * *

"Please give me the two children." Ragnarok said solemnly.

Liza started to cry helplessly and clutched her child closer to her bosom to protect her.

Oranis softly plucked Mara from her mother's vice grip, and Hoyt gently guided Liza to the corner of the room to console her, "Don't worry, she won't be leaving you for awhile, m'lady."

Oranis reluctantly handed Mara over to Ragnarok. He grasped her by the scruff of the neck, causing Oranis and Panai to hold their breath in anticipation. When Ragnarok set her down, he turned to Hazel and with pleading eyes, asked her flatly to present Tanis to him. Cliff watched helplessly as Hazel shook her head quickly. Cliff sighed and shook as he softly tore the child from its mother, and disregarding her cries, reluctantly gave his newborn son to his Father-in-Law. Ragnarok carefully placed Tanis beside Mara, and started to recite the sacred ritual of joining two warring tribes.

Tanis looked back at his parents, his mother crying and his father distraught, and back at his grandfather, of whom was blankly reciting the wording to the ritual. Mara looked at him and smiled a careless, toothy grin. It didn't seem to faze Tanis, but he suddenly crawled forward and up Ragnarok's chest. Ragnarok disregarded this interruption, but remedied it by picking the baby up by his neck and was going to replace him, when Tanis reached up and grabbed his paw with claws extended.

The next thing everyone knew, Ragnarok's eyes went wide, and within a split second and a sharp sizzle, and he slumped over to the side, clearly dead. Tanis unhooked his claws and dropped down beside Mara.

Everyone stood stock still as Hazel and Cliff stared in fear at their newborn baby. Suddenly, Oranis and Liza hurried forward and snatched Mara up and tried to leave when Cliff suddenly jumped forward with a fierce growl and pulled out a dagger from his belt and without any further thought and within the span of a second, slashed Oranis and Liza's throats. Hazel screamed along with Hoyt, and Cliff raised his dagger towards Hoyt, but stopped himself mid-swing. He shook uncontrollably and dropped the dagger, his paws trembling, he put his head in his arms and cried.

Blood poured along the floor from the now lifeless bodies of the Tiger's leaders as their orphaned child fell from her stiff of a father's grip and onto the floor beside Tanis, who had crawled down off of his deceased grandfather. Cliff's split second decision saved the life of their precious, newborn killer at the cost of imminent war with the rival tribe of Tigers.

Cliff slowly came to his senses and shakily regained composure. He knew what he had to do now; while Hazel sat motionless and Hoyt continued to stand stock still, he grudgefully sliced his deceased King's throat open. He shivered as he did so; it was not something he had ever done, let alone to his own Father-in-Law, however dead he may already be. He bent down and plucked the dagger from the belt upon Oranis' prone form and then handed the blood-stained dagger to the paralyzed Hoyt, who absentmindedly took the weapon. He then clutched his own dagger tight in his paw and readied himself, and yelled heinously "Murderer!"

The doors burst open and a duo of lions hurried in, to halt at the sight of the dead bodies. They yelped as they stepped into the pool of blood, and roared when they caught sight of their leader's prone, lifeless body.

Cliff's heart raced as he immediately began to explain, "I-I... had to do it! They killed Ragnarok and were going after my wife and son!"

Hoyt screeched and protested as the guards tackled him and roughly shoved cuffs onto his skinny wrists. They threw him out the door as Dio and Panai came back in, oblivious to what was happening.

"Please, leave me alone, sir." Panai requested for what seemed like the millionth time to Dio.

They stopped short at the horrendous scene before them and they both cried simultaneously, "Oh, God no!"

Dio trumped over the dead bodies of the Tiger royalties, at which Panai roared deafeningly and grabbed the scrawny lion by the throat and slammed him against the wooden walls of the hut. "How dare you!"

He glared about at Cliff and Hazel and yelled "_What did you do?_"

Hazel still stared in shock at her father's body lying in its own blood, of which her husband had made the cut. Her son, the killer, sitting on the ground and cooing at the little tiger cub, each oblivious to what was going on. Poor Mara's parents dead, and innocent Tanis' first kill: his very own grandfather.

Cliff's mind raced as he tried to think of a solution. He yelled even louder this time, "You tigers are nothing but cold hearted murderers! This is the final straw! We call war upon you! We will take this suffering at your hands no longer!" His body shook uncontrollably as he forced himself to stare into Panai's stone cold eyes with such intense forced hatred. Dio hastily exited in hopes that he was merely forgotten.

The guards piled in and tried to subdue Panai, but he fought his way through past their swords and spears and claws. As he made it out of the hut, he found himself surrounded by just about the entire lion populous. He pushed his way through the crowd, ignoring the sneers and jeers, harsh comments and shoves that found their way to him. The guards spilled out of the hut and screamed "Find that murderer! The killer of our King!"

The crowd gasped and all at once rushed after Panai, who was already fading into the distance. The guards threw their spears into the dark behind the tiger, but all missed, if not by a margin. Suddenly, an arrow flew out of nowhere and landed square in the tiger's back, knocking him to the ground, dead. The lions all cheered, "Death to the murderer of the King!"

The archer, Clive, jumped down from the building he was perched atop, and mercilessly pushed his way through the crowd and into the Royal House, and angrily rushed up the stairs to the now bloodied sickroom. As he entered, he took in the sight of the Tiger's leaders' and the blood they had spilled. He looked at Tanis and Mara playing on the ground beside Cliff and Hazel, oblivious to how their lives had been changed forever.

Clive knew something was wrong, but he couldn't put his finger on it. He saw the guilty faces of Hazel and her husband, but he mistook it for sorrow. He sneered at the now orphaned Mara, and picked the poor child up by the scruff of the neck. He glanced over Ragnarok and remarked flatly, "That's a damn shame..."

* * *

Meanwhile downstairs in the basement, the guard was holding Hoyt prisoner where a burly tan lion captain was torturing the captive. "You tigers killed our King!"

He threw a punch and Hoyt was thrown to the ground, where he curled into a ball and raised his arms against his attacker. "N-no! It wasn't us! We were setup!"

The Captain roared and smashed his elbow into Hoyt's neck. He collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath, hardly able to breathe. "W-what do you want m-me to say?"

The guard kicked him in the ribs and Hoyt fell against the stone wall, and looked up at the Captain through bruised and bloody eyes. The Captain leaned in close and whispered, "You bastards killed Rognarok. You're all going to pay for what you've done. Now you have the shame of bringing that damned child back to that barbaric tribe of yours and telling them that you've doomed them all, each and every one of them. We won't rest until it is done."

* * *

Clive had left the newly formed lion family alone within the house, long after Ragnarok's personal guards removed his body from the premises.

Hazel lied in her bed, staring at the ceiling blankly, still in a shocked and scared state. Cliff paced the floor and nervously watched Tanis splash around in the blood on the floor, giggling to himself with a huge grin on his tiny face.

They hadn't spoken since Cliff went off on Clive for "desecrating Ragnarok's body and his memory".

"W-what... do we d-do?"

Hazel was the first to speak in hours, and Cliff jumped at the sound of her soft, frightened voice. He turned to her and watched her eyes fill to the brim with tears as she pulled in on herself and hugged her knees to her chest. He hurried over and sat down beside her, and held her close. He didn't know what to say. He had been thinking about that for the last few hours, and hadn't come to any concrete solution. He knew they had two choices; either they maintain the horrible lie and go to war with the tigers, yet simultaneously preserving the precious life they had just brought into their world, or they come forward and tell the truth, which would lead to the tribe putting Tanis, a mere baby and their firstborn child, to death.

Cliff sighed and mumbled "You know the answer to that."

Hazel looked at him sideways and swallowed as she nodded slowly.

Cliff released her from his grasp and walked over to Tanis and gingerly picked him up in his arms. Cliff carried him over to Hazel, who took him in her arms and cradled him softly until he fell asleep, grasping his mother's bosom softly for comfort. Hazel smiled wistfully and with misty eyes, looked up at Cliff, who watched his son blankly.

"Look at him, honey. I-I can't bear to part with him! He's s-so precious!"

Cliff closed his eyes and replied flatly, "You do know what that means, don't you? We'd have to maintain our... horrible, horrible lie for the rest of our lives. Countless other lives will be lost because of this. Even if they are those repulsive Tigers..."

Hazel's eyes started tearing up again as she trembled and slowly nodded with a whisper, "I-I just can't d-do it, Cliff! I-I c-can't..."

Cliff nodded subtly as he lied down on the bed beside her and hugged her tightly, "I know, baby. We have got to fight through this! We can do this. Do it for Tanis... our perfect little boy."


	4. No Remorse

No Remorse

*3 years later*

"Mama, can I play with Shawn?"

Tanis tugged on his mother's leg as they walked down the street back to their home, eager for an answer.

Hazel sighed and kneeled down beside him to reply somewhat annoyed, "I'm sorry honey, I know its hard not being allowed to play with your cousin, but mommy and daddy are still having problems with Aunt Helsa and Uncle Clive right now, okay?"

"Why _nooooooooot_?"

Hazel groaned, stood up to roll her eyes and shook her head as she hurriedly dragged her son behind her. Tanis happily gripped her arm with his claws and she moaned softly but didn't make any further notice of the pain. They quickly approached the large, ornate house before them; the Royal House. The dipped inside as the guards faced the other way, having a conversation together about the technicalities of who they actually served. The reason that Hazel was even there in the first place.

"This feud with Helsa and Clive is getting out of hand..." Hazel mumbled as she stepped into the conference room after having sat Tanis outside with a guard.

She placed herself with in a seat beside Cliff, who remarked mindlessly, "My my, Hazel, you're getting big! You can hardly fit in that seat!"

He immediately shrunk back in his seat and averted his gaze from his wife as she growled low and crossed her arms across her belly, further proving his observation. She muttered under her breath to him, "Well, you're not getting anything from me for a while."

Cliff blushed and shook his head in dismay at his tasteless remark, as Hazel pouted in her seat as Dio entered the room, followed by a disgruntled Helsa and Clive. The cries of their child emenated from the end of the hall, as Shawn bawled for his friend, Tanis. Hazel and Cliff groaned as Tanis yelled at Shawn happily and he rushed through the door with the guard yelling at him in protest. Shawn heard his cousin calling and ran into the hall where everyone was gathered for the meeting. The two cubs hugged and ran to the corner of the room to play together at their parents glared at one another, each angry at another for whatever reason it was.

The guards that were each watching Tanis and Shawn, both backed out of the room awkwardly, as they were forgotten and the fight within the room immediately started when the doors closed.

"Why do you insist on calling me fat?"

"What reason do you possibly think can justify calling me that?"

"Where do you get off thinking you're the one who runs everything here?"

"Who do you think you are, to say such a thing to my child?"

Dio clamored between each and frantically tried to settle things down. A loud "Ouch!" came from the corner of the room, and the adults immediately stopped talking to turn their attention towards the two boys in the corner of the room. Shawn was shaking his fingers in pain as Tanis sneakily hid his own paw, claws extended, behind his back and smiled nonchalantly. Helsa and Clive glared at Tanis and growled slightly as Hazel and Cliff watched Shawn suspiciously. Then they all turned back to each other and continued to argue.

Tanis looked at Shawn with a sly grin and said genuinely, "I'm sorry Shawn!"

Shawn nodded as he shoved his paw in his mouth and began to suck on it. Tanis chuckled lightly and turned his attention to their parents feud.

Dio stepped forward and yelled frantically, "Please! This is getting us nowhere! We have to resolve this! We cannot have a whole family try to run things here! This is not about your problems with each other, this is about the good of the village and its people! Its about what's best for your children, for goodness sake!"

They all stopped arguing immediately, and Helsa and Clive stared daggers at Dio, while Cliff watched Hazel warily. Hazel stared down in shame, as she muttered, "I'm sorry. Can't we just... solve this now, like adults? Please? For the good of Tanis and Shawn... and our little Sinat."

Cliff groaned at the name and mumbled, "What? Sinat? No, no, no, I thought it was-"

Hazel glared at him and interrupted "This isn't about the name, Cliff! Its about what's best for our children!" She looked at Helsa, and told her softly, "Please sister, you know what the right thing to do is. Let Cliff and I do this. You know that is what father would want."

Helsa looked at the ground shamefully in thought, while Clive growled lowly, "Just because you married first, and had your child first, doesn't give you the right to rule the Ko-Ri Lions!"

Helsa mumbled regretfully "Don't forget the fact that I was born first."

Hazel rolled her eyes, and replied, annoyed, "A mere minute doesn't count Helsa, how many times do I have to tell you that?"

Dio stepped forward nervously and exclaimed, "Well, I can tell this isn't getting us anywhere. How about we adjourn for now, and come back tomorrow."

They all nodded in agreement and Cliff and Clive muttered simultaneously, "We always do..."

They glared at one another before hurrying over to their children and plucked their own up off the floor despite their protesting screeches. Hazel and Helsa looked at each other regretfully and walked out their respective doors. Cliff grabbed his wife's arm with his free paw and guided her out of her late father's house.

Hazel remained silent as Cliff shook his head furiously and yelled, "Oh, I can not stand them! Why do they think that they're the ones who should rule? I mean, what do they have? What makes them better than us? Nothing! Ugh, I can't stand them!"

* * *

Helsa and Clive walked with Shawn between them, looking from one, to the other waiting for some kind of reaction to him. He whimpered, but they both just kept walking. He teared up and cried softly as they all shuffled to their less than simple home. Clive opened the door for them, and they all piled in after another. Shawn ran to his room without another word and sobbed. Helsa sighed and Clive rolled his eyes as they both slumped over to the couch. They sat in silence; Helsa's head resting on her husband's shoulder and Clive staring blankly forward. After a while, Helsa sighed and whispered "Why do they insist on doing this day after day? What do we do?"

Clive stared forward until he cleared his throat and looked down at her and asked blankly, "Do you remember that... plan we had made just before Shawn was born?"

Helsa sat up and groaned and replied hastily, "Oh, not this again!"

Clive straightened and raised his arms in defense, "What? I mean it! If we could do it... if you would do it, we would have free reign to do whatever we wanted! Isn't that what you want? It sure as hell is what I want. With those to out of the way, we'd have our way to do anything!"

He stood tall and looked off into the distance in triumph. Helsa rolled her eyes and laid back on the couch and groaned loudly. Clive looked down at her and smiled wide as he muttered, "Its settled, tomorrow, at the meeting. We take out the scrounge, Dio, too. Prepare yourself, my queen."

Unbeknownst to them, Shawn had been listening from his doorway, and immediately climbed through his window, out into the night.

* * *

"Sinat. Really honey?"

Hazel groaned again and laid down on their more than ornate couch in their living room.

"Yes, we've been over this! Our little boy is Sinat, and that is final!"

Cliff rolled his eyes and replied lowly, "When are we going to have a girl?"

Hazel snorted and said, surprised, "What, you want one? They're too much upkeep!"

Cliff looked over at Tanis playing with his toys on the ground across the room and mumbled, "And what, boys aren't?"

Hazel caught onto his meaning and she sat up and raised her finger to him and whispered "That won't happen again. It can't! I-I don't want it to!"

Cliff sighed and sat down beside his worried wife and hugged her tight as they stared at Tanis yawned wide and got up to go to his room.

"I sure hope it won't..."

* * *

Little Shawn hurried along the roads, trying his best to remember the way to his cousin's house. He finally found the long road that led to the huge house at the end and ran along its length to run to a stop at its immense door. He tried to reach the knob, but failed to reach. He jumped and jumped, but couldn't reach it no matter how many times he tried. He stepped back to find another way, and saw Tanis in his room, reading a small scroll. He looked around and picked up a small rock. He smiled as he threw it as best he could, but it missed the window and hit the wall beside it. No response from Tanis. Shawn groaned and picked up another pebble, and chucked it upward. It barely rapped on the window, but it did its job of attracting Tanis' attention. He looked down and gasped as he saw Shawn, tired and scared. He threw open the window and yelled happily, "Shawn!"

Shawn gazed around frantically and replied nervously, "T-Tanis, I have to t-talk to you."

Tanis looked back and said softly, "But I'm not supposed to come out of my room this late."

Shawn glanced up at him pleadingly and asked urgently, "Please Tanis!"

Tanis sighed and nodded, then climbed out of the window, and navigated his way to the ground, digging his sharp claws into the wood. He jumped down beside Shawn and caught his breath as he looked at Shawn expectantly.

Shawn rolled his fingers around nervously and muttered, "My mama and daddy are... they're going to hurt Auntie and Uncle!"

Tanis cocked his head to the side and asked skeptically, "Are you sure?"

Shawn nodded frantically and Tanis gasped, and muttered, "What do we do?"

"Tell on them?"

Tanis looked at him sideways and replied "I-I guess. Are you sure though?"

Shawn hesitated and then shrugged.

Tanis sighed exasperatedly and replied, "Go home Cousin."

Shawn waited for another reply, but once Tanis made his way back to his room, he turned around and ran back to his home.

* * *

Hazel had calmed down, and Cliff laid with her on the couch, her head on his chest, and her eyes closed. Cliff sighed as he smiled down at her beautiful face, and pondered, what if it did happen?

He broke out of the thought when Hazel awoke to remind him it was Tanis' bedtime. He rolled his eyes as she immediately fell back to sleep, and he stood up as he softly replaced her head on the couch. He hurried up the short staircase and opened the door to Tanis bedroom. He was already in bed, reading another small scroll intently. He looked up at his father and groaned, "Aww, already?"

Cliff nodded and sat down beside his son as Tanis settled into bed. Cliff pulled the covers around him and sang the short bedtime song he always sang. It usually put Tanis to sleep instantly.

_Good night, little one._

_Sleep tight, little one. _

_Dream nice, little one. _

_Daddy loves you, little one. _

_Mommy loves you, little one._

_Good night, little one. _

Tanis yawned wide, but didn't fall asleep. Cliff watched him curiously as Tanis' eyes fluttered closed, and he murmered, "I love you too daddy."

Cliff stood up and snuffed out the candle on the tabletop beside Tanis' bed and walked to the door. He closed it softly and walked a few steps, before he heard his son murmur, "Daddy?"

Cliff walked back to room, rolling his eyes as he opened the door and asked flatly, "Yes?"

Cliff was expecting some boring question. What he heard made his blood cold and his mind stop dead.

"Shawny says Auntie and Uncle are going to kill you and mommy tomorrow."


	5. Peace Sells

Peace Sells

*The Next Day*

"Honey, just take a deep breath..."

Hazel laid on the couch, clutching her large stomach in pain, but not of labor. Cliff had just told her what Tanis told him the night before.

They were just about to leave for their daily meeting when Cliff decided on telling her, just in case it were to actually happen. He had debated on saying anything, worrying it might be too much for his dear Hazel to take; she was already in such a fragile state with the progress of her now overdue pregnancy, and hearing that her very own sister conspired on killing her may just be it for her.

"I c-can't believe that s-she'd do s-something like t-that! I w-won't believe it!"

Cliff sighed as Hazel sobbed loudly beside him, and he mindlessly patted her on the back to comfort her.

"Hazel, I'm sure it was just another of Tanis'... quite horrible pranks." He shivered at the thought and continued hopefully, "You know how much he likes his pranks. Even if they are... pretty horrendous, at that."

Hazel nodded and sniffled as she sat up to stare intently into her husband's eyes for comfort. Her deep green eyes met his bright red ones, and the each smiled lovingly at one another. Cliff clasped her paw in his, and squeezed it tightly with a nod and encouraging smile, as he whispered "If anything were to happen, I'll make sure you and our little Sinat are safe. I love you..."

* * *

Meanwhile across town, Shawn obediently waited outside of the conference room patiently, as inside, Helsa slouched in her seat at the meeting hall in the large, ornate Royal House, while Clive paced the room, his claws grasping the hilt of his deadly dagger upon his hip. It had graced a few throats before, and he intended on doing so again, very soon. A self satisfied smirk set on his face, he glanced to his disgruntled wife sitting down at the long table before them, where papers and various documents were held within the confines of their scrolls.

"Okay, are you ready babe? When they come in... once Dio arrives, you take Hazel, and I'll take Dio and Cliff. They're no match for us! They have no idea! This going to be great! And once they're all dead, you run out, screaming, that Cliff had killed Dio, and I... I just_ had_ to kill him, because you were next!"

Helsa growled at him, and replied, bored, "And you don't see _any _flaws with that plan of yours? I am _not_ killing my own sister!"

Clive groaned and rolled his eyes as he said disappointed, "Fine! Then I'll just do it! Can't you do anything to help? I mean, geesh, do I have to do everything? Don't you want to be leader?"

Helsa turned to him and snarled "Of course I do! But killing our own family... is _not _the way to do it!" _  
_

"Well, do you have any ideas then?"

Helsa blinked and sunk in her seat, defeated, "Well, n-no. But... isn't there _any_ other way?

Clive glared at her intently and replied flatly "No."

Helsa stood up, with tears in her eyes as she stared at her enraged husband, and whispered "P-please don't do this. I can't d-do it! I can't kill my Hazel, no matter how much I may hate her... for what she's done to us. I-I know you've said before, that you have that feeling... that her and Cliff are the ones who killed father, but y-you don't know that! Please, Clive, don't do it. I-I don't want to have to leave you..."

Clive retreated from their soft embrace and looked at her, shocked. "There's not escape from this. We have to do this. It will free us! Don't you understand? We have to do this!"

Helsa shook her head and sighed as she looked away from him, staring at the wall intently. "Do what you have to do. I don't want any part with it... or you."

Clive opened his mouth to retort, but closed it sadly as she walked away from him sobbing loudly.

"I l-love you."

With that, Clive shuddered and whispered sadly "I love you too..."

They each retreated to opposite sides of the table and sat down, waiting for the rest of the conference to show.

* * *

"Hazel, we have to go."

She nodded sadly in reply to her husband's remark, and hesitantly hoisted herself from the couch.

"Come one honey."

"I'm trying!"

Cliff sighed and replied "Alright, take your time."

"Well, maybe you could help me up..."

Cliff sighed again and rolled his eyes as he grasped Hazel's outstretched paw and pulled her from the confines of the comfortable lounge. Cliff grunted with the effort and Hazel glared at him once she was finally standing. He looked down at her and smiled sheepishly at his display of exertion.

"Thanks for that." Cliff chuckled softly, which earned him another harsh glance at him. "Yeah... I get it. I'm fat..."

"No, no! I'm sorry!"

Hazel sighed and looked at the ground sadly as she muttered "Do we always have to fight? I mean, are we ever going to get anywhere by fighting?"

"I'm sorry."

Hazel sighed again and smiled warmly at her husband and replied "No, _I'm _sorry. I can't take everything so personally." She smiled wider and added playfully, "I _am_ fat!"

Cliff rolled his eyes, but smiled broadly as he took his wife in his arm, and looked up the stairs to call his son down. "Tanis, come on! We've got to go to the meeting now!"

Tanis hurriedly complied and ran down the stairs to his parents, a melancholy look upon his face. He stared at each in turn and addressed his father flatly, "So. We're still going?"

Cliff nodded and gestured to his son to follow. "Yes Tanis, we are. Let's go."

Tanis nodded regretfully and scuttled after his parents out the door of their home.

* * *

Dio scuttled around his office, gathering all of the supplies he would need for the daily conference.

_Its really more of an argument..._

He chuckled to himself as he picked up a few scrolls and hurriedly ran from his office, his slim body making quick progress up the flight of stairs to the conference room, where Cliff, Hazel and Tanis had just arrived. Dio nodded to the group and hurried along inside.

Cliff sat his son down on the bench, and smiled as Tanis complied, having for once not argued about wanting to play with his cousin.

"Good! Now, please, stay put."

"Yessir."

Cliff raised a brow and replied flatly, "Cut that crap out. I'm your father, not the damn Emperor."

Hazel gasped softly and lightly nudged her husband's back. He groaned and muttered, "Sorry, 'darn Emperor'..."

Tanis grinned broadly and snickered at his father's humility as Hazel pulled Cliff aside and whispered into his ear, "What do we do? Are we really going to just walk in there, knowing... what could be waiting for us?"

Cliff looked over her shoulder and mumbled, "I don't think we have anything to worry about. Come on, you'll be fine. I promise..."

He placed his paw on the handle, and stopped short of turning it when he heard Hazel's soft sob. "You c-can't p-promise that..."

Cliff sighed and turned to her with and encouraging smile as he grasped her shoulders firmly and whispered back "I promise, that no harm will ever come to you, and the rest of our family. I promise that..."

Hazel swallowed hard and smiled back weakly. Cliff nodded to her and guided her past their son, still waiting patiently, ignoring the cocky smirk he had on his face. They both inhaled simultaneously as Cliff opened the door, both expecting the worse.

Dio stood at the head of the table, next to a saddened Helsa, as a blank Clive glared at the two entering the room. Dio looked up from a scroll he was reading and smiled. "Ah, here you are! Now, we can start!

Helsa swallowed as she glanced at Clive nervously and quickly looked away when he caught her.

Hazel and Cliff both exhaled and made their way to their seats opposite Helsa and beside Dio. The scrawny lion looked the table over and looked down its length to Clive sitting alone and smiled, "Clive! Come join us!"

Hazel and Cliff watched Clive closely as he sighed and stood up to make his way to sit beside Helsa. She gulped as he did so, but it went unnoticed by everyone, except Clive. He placed his paw on her shoulder and she jumped noticeably.

Dio smiled down at her and inquired, "Are you okay Helsa?"

She smiled shakily and nodded quickly.

"Okay then."

He looked around the table, where everyone was either ignoring each other, or regarding another with contempt. Dio smiled wider and started, "Alright! Well, I think today would be a good day to discuss..."

He was cut off by Dio who stood up and raised a hand to silence him. Dio looked at him intently, as the three others regarded him in fear. Clive walked to the head of the table beside Dio and clapped a heavy paw on Dio's shoulder. Clive smiled wide and looked down at his wife, who looked up at him nervously. Clive's smile faded slightly at her expression, but he stared at the other two in contempt as he spoke loudly, "I just want to say, what a great job Dio has been doing with this whole situation. You're a really big help, buddy."

Dio smiled nervously up at the hulking lion above him, and thanked him. Clive nodded and continued, "I think, soon, you'll all see this come to an end. I think, my wife and I have come to a conclusion, of how to end this... pointless bickering, once and for all. I just want to thank you, first. And..." Clive stopped short as his expression turned hard and unnoticed, he grasped his dagger behind his back as he swallowed and turned to Helsa and whispered "I do this for you, Helsa..."

He swung the dagger out front as he placed his free paw over Dio's mouth. Dio's eyes widened as the dagger entered his field of view, and within a second of it beginning, it all ended. Dio laid on the ground with a large slash in his throat, his blood fleeing from the wound, and flowing to the floor.

The room became deadly silent until Hazel screamed in horror, Helsa stared at her husband in shock, and Cliff jumped up from his seat, and before Clive could counteract, he roared as he smashed Clive's head into the table, knocking him out.

The fight was over much too quickly, but to everyone's relief, it truly was over. Clive was slumped over Dio's body, laying in the pool of blood that he had created from his own blind violence. Helsa sobbed hysterically at her husband's unconscious body, his fur soaking up the blood of his kill. Hazel had run to the corner of the room, and laid on the ground, her stomach heaving and her eyes frozen wide at the horrendous scene before her. Cliff stood over his cousin, hyperventilating as adrenaline coursed through his veins. He had been ready, anticipating Clive's every move, ready for the moment Clive was to strike...

Finally, Cliff regained his senses and stepped over the two bodies and towered over Helsa as he glared down at her. "Your son wasn't lying. Tanis wasn't lying. You were really going to kill us."

Helsa shook as she sobbed loudly, scared of what Cliff were to do to her. "P-please don't hurt me!"

Cliff growled at her as he turned from her and quickly headed over to his shaken wife, still huddled in the corner. He bent over her, and picked her up as she continued to shake. He sat her down in a seat and shushed her softly until she swallowed and nodded to him for him to take care of business.

Clive's prone body began to stir on the ground, and Helsa gasped and kneeled on the ground beside him, disregarding the puddle of blood she knelt in and hurriedly tried to wake him further, afraid of what Cliff might do to him. "Don't kill him!"

Cliff snarled and threw her aside as he grasped Clive by the throat. "Why'd you do it? Huh? _Why?!_"

Clive gasped for breath, but managed a nasally growl. He choked out, "Because, you and your bitch wife wouldn't give up."

Cliff roared and slammed him to on the ground again. His voice quivered with rage as he whispered death, "You have two choices. You die... or you leave here forever._"_

Clive's face contorted into a snarl, but no noise escaped before Cliff smashed him into the the ground again, "_Which is it?!"_ _  
_

Clive stared up at his cousin with such hate, but closed his eyes and managed through Cliff's grasp, "Leave. Forever."

Hazel's enraged husband growled down at Clive, but nodded begrudgingly. He let his cousin up slowly, that on his honor he would leave straight away and never come back.

Helsa continued sobbing, but jumped up and grabbed Clive's arm softly and whispered, "Please, don't go!"

Clive threw her arm away and growled down at her. She withdrew in shock and tears fell down her cheeks as the only person she ever loved walked towards the door, to never return. Even for her...

"Wait!"

Helsa flung herself after him, and screamed "Don't leave! Don't make him leave! Please!"

Cliff shook his head in dismay and snarled at Clive, "Leave, now, and don't you even look back."

Helsa sobbed into Clive's chest as he tried desperately to detach her. He didn't want her to have to suffer for his stupid decision. But she didn't care.

"Then I'm going with you!"

Clive yelled, "No!", and threw her away from him.

Helsa looked around to Cliff and stared in right in the eye. "I-I... I had just as much to do with it, as Clive. I'm going with him..."

Cliff's eye twitched as he muttered, "I'm not going to stop you..."

With that, the two left without a second though. A thought unfortunately that didn't occur to them until they were long gone within each other's embrace, was what they were leaving behind. More specifically, who.

* * *

Shawn sat obediently on his bench as the yelling in the room behind him escalated loudly. He figured it was the normal bickering that took place between his parents and Aunt and Uncle.

He sat humming his favorite jingle his mother would sing to him periodically before bed, if she wasn't to envenomed to even speak.

Finally, the screaming stopped, and with the bang of a door, he waited happily for his Mama and Daddy to walk through the door. But they didn't come...

* * *

Cliff stared at the couple as they slammed the door behind them, and finally sat down with a sigh. It was horribly quiet within the room, and he finally had time to think. Think about... about... well, he still couldn't think. The last few minutes were so horribly harrowing, it was like reliving what had happened little more than three years ago to Ragnarok. Tanis, a mere newborn child, had killed his own grandfather. It still made Cliff shake with fear, just thinking about it.

_What if it were to happen again, with Sinat? I know Hazel couldn't take that... it would probably kill her. What is there to do? What way is there to possibly know?_

He blinked several times at the thought of Hazel. "Hazel?"

Cliff looked around the room frantically, and caught a glimpse of a crumpled body lying in the corner. He hurried over and gasped as he reached it, having slipped in some kind of fluid, and fallen to the floor.

"S-say hello t-to your d-daddy, Sinat!"


	6. The Last Goodbye

The Last Goodbye

*2 Years Later*

Cliff stood poised next to the window with his hands clasped behind his back as he glanced down at the crowd gathered below him. The immense mass of his angered citizens didn't faze him in the slightest; he merely scoffed at them as he shook his head towards the attention of his family. Hazel, Tanis, and his little nephew Shawn were gathered in the room with him, all looking horribly bored and discontent.

"Baby, when are we able to leave the house? You know how..." Hazel looked down at the two little cubs beside her, watching her intently as she continued hesitantly, "...frustrated Tanis and Shawn are getting."

Cliff sighed at his wife's remark and muttered for the hundredth time, "You know that we can't leave."

Shawn huffed and crossed his arms at his uncle as he cried "I wanna go outside and play!"

Hazel smiled down at him sadly and whispered, "Not now, honey."

Tanis and Shawn simultaneously let out a loud "Hmph!" and turned away from the two adults.

Hazel took this opportunity to stand up, awkwardly clutching her large belly, and waddle over to Cliff. Cliff watched her approach with mild amusement, but didn't let on further than that; he knew how sensitive Hazel was about her size.

"Hazel, what are we going to do?"

Cliff looked down at his beloved wife, completely lost; hoping for some kind of reprieve. He found nothing but surprise in her beautiful features.

"Cliff... I-I don't know. I thought you knew what you were-"

Cliff interrupted her with a silent snarl; his lips curled in disgust at her remark.

"What _I _was doing? Don't you mean _we?"_

Hazel sighed and muttered, "Of course I did. You just seem to always... take control."

Cliff acknowledged such with a small shrug, but asked her slyly, "But isn't that how you like it?"

Hazel blushed slightly and glared at Cliff with disdain. "Cliff, now's not the time for that. This is serious. What are we going to do about..." She gestured behind her husband's shoulder towards the crowd in the street below and trailed off in anticipation of the answer.

Cliff sighed heavily as he stared across the room to the two cubs playing together on the floor. He smiled softly at the sight of his son and adopted child, when a thought struck his mind. A thought that he and Hazel had been trying to avoid for a long time.

Cliff glanced down at his wife's wide belly, and swallowed hard at the things that were to come. And things that had already passed, seemingly so, so long ago...

_I can't believe I did that to my own son..._

Cliff shuddered at the thought, and Hazel eyed him suspiciously as she cut into his thoughts with a small slap.

"Are you paying attention?"

Cliff rubbed his face as he nodded reluctantly. He hated when his wife did that. He regained his composure, waved away his wife's incoming remark and muttered, "We have more pressing matters than..." He gestured to the crowd and continued in disgust, "..._that_." He lowered his gaze from his wife's stunning green eyes, to her less than flattering belly.

Hazel's complexion immediately paled as she stuttered stupidly, "Wh-what do you mean?"

Cliff's eyes narrowed as he whispered harshly, "You know exactly what I mean. What are we going to do? We barely managed to keep... Sinat a secret, how about _this _one?"

Hazel growled and retorted, "'This one' has a name, Cliff. Its your son, Ajani!"

Cliff closed his eyes and breathed, " I know that... that doesn't change what has to be done."

Hazel turned from him and sobbed softly, "H-how can you live with y-yourself?"

Cliff grasped her shoulder and turned her around harshly as he whispered through his fangs, "Don't you dare put it on me! You know we did what had to be done! Sinat could _not _turn into another Tanis!"

Tanis looked over his cousin's head to his parents arguing in the corner, and narrowed his eyes at his father. However, this went unnoticed by Cliff as he continued ever louder, "Neither will Ajani! We cannot allow that to happen!"

Hazel tried pull away from her husband's rough grip, but he wouldn't allow such. Hazel cried louder as she tried again, but Cliff wouldn't relinquish his grasp.

"L-let me go!"

Cliff shook his head as he pulled his wife closer, into an unwanted embrace.

"Hazel, please, this is the only way to avert any possible disaster again! Remember what happened to your father?"

Hazel stopped resisting at the mention of her father, Ragnarok. She sobbed harder as she clutched her stomach as if to comfort her unborn baby.

"I-I can't do it! I c-can't send our b-baby away! Its just not right! What did he do to deserve this?"

Shawn and Tanis had stopped playing, to watch the adults argue. Cliff noticed the cubs watching him and his wife argue, and he quickly shushed Hazel.

"Quiet baby, quiet!"

Hazel sniffled loudly and wiped her tears as she continued to hiccup, "N-no! Its n-not fair!"

Cliff sighed exasperatedly as he pointed at Tanis and Shawn, and spoke flatly, "Leave."

The two young cubs grumbled and clamored to their feet. They took their time leaving, whispering to each other, and left with one last glance and grimace at poor Hazel.

The door finally slammed shut, and Cliff relaxed his features to a frown. He looked over at Hazel, who had fallen over onto a chair, hyperventilating. Cliff sat down hesitantly beside his wife, and wrapped his arms around her. Slowly, she began to regain her composure.

"Do you even remember how it felt to send little Sinat away?"

Cliff looked down at his now silent yet somber wife in surprise. He thought for a moment before answering quietly, "Yes. I felt a little bit of myself die that day. It wasn't more than a few hours after he was born, that we had his nurse, Fralia, take him away."

Hazel looked up at his darkened face sadly as she continued painfully, "Do... do you even remember where we had her take him?"

Cliff sighed and tried to recall the memory, but failed to do so. He sighed yet again and said as quietly as possible, "No."

Hazel shook in his arms as she cried "N-neither do I!"

Cliff felt a tear slip from his eye at her disheartening reply.

_We... we don't even know what happened to our son..._

Hazel sobbed unashamedly as she screamed "_I-is that ridiculous, or wh-what?!_"

Cliff quickly tried to shush her, but to no avail.

_"F-for all we know, our l-little boy is d-dead!"_

Hazel gasped for air as Cliff stroked her face softly, trying to console her.

_"And... and y-you want to do th-that... _again? _You m-monster!"_

She finished with a monumental gasp, and a huge breath of air before releasing such a deafening, harrowing scream of pain.

_"Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!"_

Cliff jumped up from his seat and grasped his ears in pain as he yelled, "What?! What is it?!"

Hazel moaned, clutching her stomach tightly, "Unh, get m-me to the doctor!"

Cliff stood numbly, still collecting himself from the painful scream. He muttered stupidly, "What?"

Hazel growled from the sheer amount of pain she was experiencing and managed a rough, "I'm going into labor, you idiot!"

Her dumbfounded husband finally jumped into action at the word "labor". He picked her up from her awkward position on the chair, and cradled her in his arms as he rushed towards the closed door. His hands full, he screamed to his son, "Tanis! Open this door, now!"

Shawn beat Tanis to the door and threw it open as he stood in the doorway, unsure of the situation. Cliff's eyes wide, he boomed down at the nervous cub, "MOVE!"

Shawn flung himself out of the way as Cliff trumped through down the hall, to the other end where the prepped bed was lying, just for the occasion of Ajani's birth. Hazel's screams prompted the scrawny lioness that was her doctor to poke her head out of the room to investigate the sound.

"What is that _horrible _sound?"

Her eyes widened as she saw Cliff holding Hazel in his arms, hurrying down the long hall towards her. "Oh my, come in, come in!"

Cliff nodded to the doctor as he pushed past her into the already cramped room. He smiled comfortingly as he placed her softly into the bed as she grimaced in a silent scream, her face lined with horrible, horrible pain. Cliff waved the two cubs behind him out the door and closed it on them as he set himself beside his birthing wife.

The doctor placed a paw in Hazel's own, who grasped it forcefully. She groaned at the immense pressure as she placed her other paw on Cliff's shoulder as she cooed softly, "don't worry you two, everything will be just fine!"

Hazel glared at her, and growled at which the doctor laughed nervously and clapped her paws together, "Oho okay, let's get going, shall we?"

She took a step towards Hazel only to have Cliff place his own paw onto her shoulder forcefully. She looked up at him, terrified, when he began, "Sausha... we need to ask you a favor..."

Sausha gulped as she lowered her gaze to the floor to signify that she understood what was expected of her. "I... understand."

She expected Cliff to release her, but his grasp upon her shoulder only tightened. He muttered as quietly as possible, "Do you?"

Her eyes widened and she shook with fear as Cliff placed his free paw upon the hilt of his dagger. Sausha swallowed hard as she screeched, "Yes, yes! I do! I swear! Please!"

Cliff glared at her as he continued, "This time, its different. Nobody can, and nobody will know about this." He closed his eyes on wife, who was watching his every move, and finished with a whisper, "This is the last time. Never again..."

Sausha shuddered as he released her, her scrawny form cowering against the wall as he replaced his paw from his dagger. Flustered, she managed "I-I'll notify Ajani's n-nurse right away!"

Cliff closed his eyes and held his breath at the statement, then nodded reluctantly as he stared at the shivering doctor before roaring, "Well? My wife is in labor! Get to it!"

Sausha yelped and stuttered, "O-oh, of course s-sir!"

Hazel glanced up at her husband from the bed, her face filled with relief at his previous statement and managed a painful grimace. She mouthed the words, "Thank you" before the doctor blocked Cliff's view of his wife.

_Never again.._.

Cliff hoped with all his being that that would hold true. He knew that Hazel had settled with the cold reality of it this one, but it was the last time. She was on the brink; Hazel was too sick as it was. Sick, mentally, of the horrible things that she had faced these last few years...

Cliff grew tired from the day's events; the never ending battle; being a leader was difficult.

He scoffed at the thought, because he knew that he had been neglecting his duties. He had been too preoccupied with happenings within the family to proceed with matters of the people.

Cliff watched inattentively as Sausha placed herself for the long birth, with Hazel's strained moaning passing slightly over his relaxed yet sensitive ears. Finally, Cliff closed his eyes at the less than soothing sounds of his wife's harrowing cries, and the quiet lamenting of his soon forgotten newborn son.


	7. Transgression

Transgression

*6 years later*

"Mmm... _say it_."

The candlelight flickered low in the confines of their large and cozy home nestled at the edge of the village as the sun behind the mountains slowly but surely set. Warm and safe inside, Cliff rolled his eyes at his wife and with a playful smile, whispered, "I love you..."

Hazel laughed softly as she reached out to her husband and caressed his cheek lovingly. "I love you too."

The two stared deep into each other's eyes for what seemed an eternity before Cliff blinked and looked away worriedly. "Honey... are you really sure you're up for this? I mean, what if..."

Hazel closed her eyes, hoping he wouldn't continue. He didn't. She knew what he meant though. They've been abstaining for more than six years because of the possibility, however slim it may be, that they would end up with another "bundle of joy", as Cliff always said sarcastically.

However, it was Hazel that was reluctant to do so. She felt the need, the desire, and it wouldn't go away. She figured it was merely her aggressive instincts to procreate, being a lioness. The worry did just about kill her though; it was an eternal struggle within.

Finally, the two had come to an agreement, that they would merely see a doctor and have the "problem"... taken care of, before it was a _real_ problem. Hazel was more than against the idea, but she knew it was necessary. And there was more than a child to think of... they had needs. They were growing old year by year, but that didn't seem to stop them at this point. The two were still very much in love, regardless of how much stress and strife their many different reasons to be would cause.

Tanis and Shawn were budding, rambunctious eleven year old little rascals... though, Cliff would always call Tanis something less flattering.

"Look at our little bastard go!"

Hazel would always growl as low as she could manage, and give Cliff the most intimidating glare she could garner. "We were married, Cliff."

He'd always shrug and tilt his head as he muttered, "Ehh... are you sure? It was close."

Hazel would then cross her arms and turn away from him to pout. "I'm sure. Don't bring it up again..."

That being said, the two sat beside each other, unsure of themselves or their companion.

"So... here we are."

"Here we are."

Hazel sighed and clenched her eyes closed as she thrust her head forward unto her awaiting arms. "What do we do?"

Cliff was taken aback by her sudden loss of confidence and need for assurance. She was always the one who seemed to be in charge, he was merely along for the ride. Her whispered plea struck him deep, his heart fluttering in pain at the sight of his love in such confusing mental agony. It seemed there was only one way to fix it...

"C'mere..."

Hazel smiled weakly and laid her head in Cliff's lap as she sighed in relief, which absolved into short gasping sobs. Cliff's lip trembled as he absently stroked her fur lovingly, somewhat dreading what was to come. He figured it would be a good show of his love and compassion he had for his beautiful wife. She was really all he needed to be happy and content with his life, but he had so much more. He had begun to resent those things, wishing that they would go away and leave him to a simple unremarkable life. In the years past, he had always looked back at the point back in his father-in-law's massive house with his cousin and sister-in-law... in hindsight, perhaps he should have just let it happen. That, or when he was in a less depressed state, let the two of them take control of the damn village. But that was all in the past, and nothing could be done to change it. Only learn from their mistakes. And learn they did. Or so they thought...

"Mother, can Shawn and I go t-..."

Tanis stared down at his parent's intimate moment, and just like that, it was shattered. Hazel quickly sat up and wiped her eyes and nervously smiled up at her son with a loving glance. Tanis quickly closed his mouth and regained his odd, stiff composure he had obtained over the years, at which his parents always marveled. He was such a well behaved young man; treating others well enough, quiet and respectful, but most importantly showed no predisposition to perform any heinous acts.

"Carry on."

The two adults blinked stupidly at their son's intrusion, and quick and commanding exit. Hazel turned to her husband as Tanis left the room and shrugged, wanting to re-initiate the feeling in the moment. Cliff smiled down at her reassuringly, at which she shyly replaced her head in his lap and breathed a sigh of contentment.

The two resumed their respective loving gestures to one another, until finally the sunlight had receded. The candles basked them in dim light, accentuating their features. Cliff stared down into his love's beautiful green eyes, which flickered softly back at him in the slight flickering of the small flames dancing across the room. He smiled slightly and with a sigh, leaned down and kissed her on the forehead.

"I love you..."

Hazel stared down bashfully and with a kind flash of his teeth, he lifted her head so their eyes met in the middle.

"Hazel... I love you, and nothing will ever change that." He looked away briefly before continuing melodically, "When I first met you, we were very young. I was stupid and in love. I did some things that I'm not proud of. But now, I know that those actions don't matter. I have you. I always will. Without you, I'm nothing... I couldn't be anything. You're my life. You alone... What makes you special, is just how beautiful you are, inside and out. There's nobody quite like you. That's why I love you... you're perfect."

Hazel's eyes twinkled as she smiled broadly at his corny proclamation of love for her. She playfully swatted his head to the side and planted a sweet, wet kiss on his lips. "I know this Clifford. Why, those are almost the same words you said to me at the altar."

Cliff swallowed and hastily looked away from her blazing stare and stuttered, "I-I... uh... well..."

Hazel burst out into laughter, ruining Cliff's perception of the intimate moment they were sharing. He glared at the ground, disappointed, as his wife whispered into his ear softly, "Honey, you don't need to tell me that for me to know... I love you too."

At that, she sprung up from the couch, and twirled herself around with her arms above her head, showing Cliff her midsection.

Cliff couldn't help but blush; after three births of larger than average children, Hazel was looking better than ever. Her tight fitting clothing accenting her sensual curves to every twist and turn they made on her body. She leaned in to Cliff, displaying her ample amount of cleavage, causing him to sink back into the couch as far as possible. Hazel smiled wide and pretended to pout, her large supple lips protruding from her face in simulated disapproval.

With a hearty laugh, Hazel snapped upright and straightened her clothes as she extended an arm to her husband, who was experiencing a mixture of confusion, excitement and embarrassment. With a distrustful side glance at Hazel, he reluctantly took her paw. She pulled him up from the couch with unexpected strength and held him tight at her side.

Finally, Hazel settled down from her sudden excitement and took a deep breath as she commanded the situation. Her expression softened at the sound of a distant traditional band playing. She softly but surely placed one of Cliff's massive paws on her hip, and the other on her upper back.

Cliff sighed and tightened his grasp confidently as Hazel put her own paws on her husband's shoulders. The two lovers swayed slightly in sync to the melodic music, a lone singer's sweet voice penetrating their minds with her far off words:

_Out of a million you stand as one_

_The outstanding one_

_I look into your eyes, girl what I see_

_Is paradise, yeah_

_You captivated my soul_

_Now everyday I want you more_

_How can I deny this feeling I am feeling inside?_

_Oh, no one can ever take your place,_

_Can never take your space_

_That's a fact I cannot erase_

_And you, you are the one that makes me smile_

_Make me float like a boat upon the Nile..._

"That's horribly cheesy."

The two burst into laughter at Cliff's words, but he quickly took a more serious tone. Her laughter finally subsiding, Hazel noticed Cliff's tense expression. Her forest green eyes reflecting the minuscule amount of light coming from the remainder of the candles they had lit hours beforehand, Hazel swallowed hard as she placed her head onto Cliff's chest and allowed herself to be embraced tightly in his arms.

"Are we ready for this?"

Cilff kissed the top of her furry head with a wavering smile and whispered timidly, "I think so..."

_I hope so..._

Tears flowed unbidden from the pair of eyes that Cliff loved so much, unable to think, unable to stop. Cliff shuddered hard as he sighed deep, and prepared himself to face his love with a brave face.

Hazel shamefully hid her face in his chest as he softly released her from his tight grasp. He swept his large paws over her ears, down to her neck with one soft gesture. Hazel sniffled and quickly wiped her face devoid of any tears. Her lips trembled mercilessly as she moaned, "I-I can't do this!"

Cliff was torn from a decision. He raised his arms and opened his mouth to reply, but nothing came forth. He lowered his arms, defeated, and shook his head relentlessly.

"I-I don't know... all I want is to be able to show you how much I love you."

Hazel looked up at her husband through her tears and whispered, "You don't need to show me. I know..."

Cliff shook his head ever faster and decided against a reply. There was a long silence between the two, both pondering the possible consequence they would face if they went through with it all.

Finally, Cliff spoke up. Hazel clung onto his every word as he looked her directly in the eye, and with such passion, confessed his thoughts.

"You know I love you Hazel, you know I do. This isn't about that then. What I want to know, is if you're ready to face another child that you have to put away, for the greater good. Can you do that?"

Hazel swallowed and whispered back hopefully, "We don't even know if I'd get preg-..."

Cliff closed his eyes and breathed through his fangs, "_Can you do_ _that?_"

The couple held each other close as Hazel pondered the very thought of having to send away another of her own, for something they hadn't even done. The children couldn't even contemplate such an act...

"Tanis is different..."

"No, he's not. _We're _different. He's just like us..."

Hazel's heart raced at Cliff's statement, causing a dangerous spike in her mind, prompting her next statement.

"Let's do it..."


	8. Dissident Aggressors

Dissident Aggressors

*The next morning*

Hazel's eyes flew open at the sound of an immense snore emanating from her husband beside her on the bed. Cliff lied face down on the large, simple bed they occupied together; the thin sheets laying disheveled across their two bodies after last night's events. Cliff's mane laid misshapen across the pillow, his face dug into its soft surface, his mouth emitting less than subtle snores and groans in his deep slumber.

Hazel yawned wide, flashing her fangs as her eyes narrowed to a close, and raised her arms high above her head as her stomach protruded slightly as she arched her back. With a massive sigh, she relaxed and placed her slight paw across her belly. With a side glance at her husband still fast asleep, albeit seemingly uncomfortably so, Hazel quickly rubbed her stomach as if to pacify the growing little child she could possibly be bearing. She exhaled harshly with a small shiver, and turned her attention to the blazing sun coming from the window that she had neglected to close the night before. Raising a paw to shield the blinding light from her face, she quietly but hastily removed herself from the bed, and covered herself as the sheets fell away from her body.

Hazel wrinkled her nose at the odd smells coming from the worn and drab fabric; they excited her for some reason she couldn't think, but also disgusted her. They weren't unfamiliar, it had just been a long time since she had been used to the fragrance.

Hazel disgustedly released the bedding back onto her slumbering husband. Her gaze followed the fabric to the large figure hidden beneath, and her expression immediately softened. With a small, tender smile, she reached across her husband's body and tightened the sheets around his bulky form, ignoring the annoying scent. Deep asleep, Cliff contently rolled face up and smiled a toothy grin at his wife, all the while unaware of anything but the extremely odd, yet pleasant dream he was experiencing.

Completely having forgotten that she had yet to be dressed, Hazel quickly replaced her paws over herself and scuttled to where her clothes lied on the ground by the nightstand on Cliff's side of the bed where they were quickly discarded the night before. Without a second glance at Cliff, Hazel hurriedly clothed herself and left the room.

The details were hazy to her, but Hazel remembered the most important. With a small shudder, she adamantly shook her head, berating herself for her hasty decision. Hazel knew she was taking a chance, allowing herself to fall prey to her vicious instincts, being a lioness. Without those imperative last lines of defense of her psyche, Hazel knew she would succumb to just about anything. She had to steel herself strong, and disallow any kind of behavior that would possibly endanger her or her people; in other words, no more children.

_No more _evil _children..._

Hazel shook her head quickly at the thought as she turned to the face the door that her little Tanis was fast asleep behind, as if trying to dissuade any possible other thoughts from invading her consciousness. The action proved unsuccessful however, as her mind was soon drowned in the revelation that two of the children, of whom she had sent away without so much more as a second thought, had yet to prove themselves either way. And perhaps... perhaps even Tanis, who's parents had the grace to keep him after such a horrid display of his capacity for evil. Maybe the whole situation with Ragnarok was just a fluke. Maybe little baby Tanis just didn't understand what he was doing...

Hazel took a deep breath and slowly opened the thick wooden door, a small squeal emitting from the hinges as she stuck her head through the small opening to see Tanis lying on his well fit bed, his back turned to his mother taking deep breaths making his chest rise and fall rhythmically. His mother's lips twitched into a small smile as she watched him sleeping peacefully, any previous worries fading away in that instant. With her shaky smile broadening lovingly, she closed the door behind her as she receded back into the hallway.

Inside the room, Tanis glared at the closed window before him, the reflection of his mother peering into his humble room disappeared as she left him to his apparent slumber. His lip twitched in a low growl and he narrowed his eyes as the dark once again consumed his room, and he closed his eyes angrily and set himself back to sleep.

* * *

While she was still the only inhabitant of the house awake, Hazel quietly set herself to work in the kitchen, gathering the supplies she would need to prepare a meal for her family. Normally, she would request a servant to do so, but oddly enough, the family didn't have any resident workers within their home. Now, the Royal House was a different story. For the long years the family had lived in that building in seclusion after the many harrowing events; either it be Ragnarok and Tanis, or their own family plotting to kill them, Hazel and Cliff decided to stay away from the public eye for a while. Only recently the family had chosen to come forth and address the village as a whole, as their affirmed new leaders. A whole eight years it took, and Tanis nor Shawn had seen the light of day since they were three. Hazel and Cliff justified the decision to the two of them as 'a necessary sacrifice for the greater good'. Neither of them truly understood what that meant, or so the adults thought. Tanis was more than intelligent for his age, he was a straight up genius. Nobody was really aware of this fact, other than Shawn. The two of them were inseparable. Tanis was the clear leader of the two, Shawn was merely a loyal follower of Tanis' every single word. Tanis' massive intellect made Shawn appear somewhat hindered, to the point where Hazel and Cliff feared he might be mentally challenged. He was far from it. He might be a slow learner, but once he understood the premise of said thing, he was soon to become a master. He was slow, however, to catch onto the reasons behind staying in his grandfather's large manor, and not back home with his parents in their cozy little home. Hazel and Cliff were reluctant to tell their nephew what his parent's had attempted. They wrote it off as they merely left... there was nothing they could do about it. Shawn was now their responsibility, and he was to be treated as such; an equal to Tanis. Tanis outward response to the proclamation was nothing more than joy; he seemed to love his cousin dearly. On the inside, Tanis was nothing if not furious at his parents. How could he, a prodigy child, be comparative in any sense to his much inferior cousin?

Regardless of these few complications, the little family had anything they needed, or desired. Even Tanis and Shawn were content when the whole situation dawned on them, that they were stuck. They had a seemingly endless amount of room inside to do as they pleased, and an even larger space in the confines of the yard to play and frolic all they wanted. Tanis and Shawn's favorite game was hide and seek. Needless to say, Tanis was always the seeker, and that he was exceedingly competent at his role. Even when Tanis gave Shawn as long as he wanted to hide in the acres and acres and rooms and rooms of the estate, Tanis would find him with such ease, Shawn would always accuse Tanis of cheating. Admittedly, Tanis only cheated a few times, and he lived up to the blame. His parents praised him endlessly for the act, claiming he was in shape to be the man they wanted him to grow up to be. That remark, and it alone made Tanis furious. Why would he want to be what his parents fancied him to be? He was his own person, wasn't he?

From that point forward, Tanis knew that he could no longer take living this lie; he was as he knew deep down, destined for something so much greater than heir to a small, insignificant village of lions. However much his parents would hype up their responsibilities as leaders of the whole Ko-Ri Valley, Tanis knew better. What good was being the leader of such a small plot of land, being in charge of such an insignificant populous when he could be so much more than that? He would _not _live out his life here, stuck within the confines of the land; much like how he was charged with not leaving the premises of the very building.

Over those years, Tanis and Shawn grew together, mentally and physically. The two were very similar in outward appearance and mannerisms. Their parents, and adoptive parents were very happy with the pair of them. Tanis was merely appeasing his parents, while his cousin was trying to make them proud. However similar the two were, it seemed that Tanis always came out on top, no matter what they did. When Cliff decided to teach the two how to read and write, Tanis came forth and told his bewildered father that he already knew how to. He knew how to at the age of two, when he had 'borrowed' a few scrolls from the shop down the street from their house, and stashed them in his room against his parent's knowledge. Who would think such a cute, inspiring little cub like Tanis could be a no good thief? Nobody, that's who. So, Cliff reluctantly decided to teach exclusively Shawn to do so, completely disregarding Hazel's wishes. She claimed that she had never had the need to learn how to read, or so her father told her. Considering her father was a bard, or a warrior scholar as he so preferred, when Cliff first learned of this, he was absolutely sure she was joking. But she wasn't... Ragnarok was sure his daughters would marry the Cairo boys, of whom one of would become the effective leader of the village, negating the need for his precious daughters to learn the intricate process of learning to read and write. Well, precious _daughter... _

Ragnarok was displeased to say the least when his wife gave birth to twins. Though the two were nearly identical in every way, as Helsa grew older, Ragnarok began to resent her. Even though she was technically the firstborn, he just about hated her, for nothing of her fault. Her personality was so much like her mother, that when she died, Ragnarok just about effectively made Helsa her replacement. Considering how young she was at the time, no older than eight, she didn't understand why she was treated differently than her sister. She hated her father, and everything about him; his many horrid attempts at inappropriate approaches to her as she aged, made her resent Hazel. Ragnarok respected Hazel; he treated her properly and loved her as a father does a daughter. Perhaps this alone is why the two steadily grew apart over their years of adolescence, only Helsa could say. The things she went through with her father, made Helsa such a defined and prominent person; her love for her husband, Clive, couldn't be matched. She needed the escape, but she also needed a life worth living. Clive made if worthwhile in the end; those years of suffering and abuse were over, and now she had had a good life.

However, things went downhill once again, after such a short year, her life was torn asunder. Her father died, which in itself was a good thing for Helsa, but it created even greater friction between her and her sister. Clive changed too; he went from being all about Helsa, to a power hungry, self absorbed maniac set on taking control, or destroying the very foundation of their lives. Being the master secret keeper she was, Helsa had the innate sense that something went wrong with her father's death. The whole situation with the Tigers and her sister made all too much sense to her. Deep down, she knew that Helsa and Cliff's little boy was the root of the problem... as well as her's. That's why she usually prohibited Shawn's interaction with the boy as much as she could, regardless of their close connection for one another.

Eventually, it all came crashing down; Clive snapped to the point that he had convinced himself to murder his cousin and sister-in-law, effectively destroying the family, and leaving Tanis to whoever would possibly take such a child. It surely wouldn't be the two of them, they had their hands full with one three year old, they didn't need another however well behaved. Clive disregarded such a thought, deciding the child didn't fit in the big picture of things, and if Tanis were to become an orphan at his own hands, then so be it. So, he went forth with his plan; and look where that got him and his wife. They were exiled forever, a better outcome than if Cliff were to show no mercy to his cousin. But as the good hearted soul he was, Cliff had done such and the two were to never show their faces in the village again. Their little cub not even a thought in Clive's mind...

That hectic even was enough for Hazel and Cliff, the leaders of Ko-Ri Valley by default, to stay secluded within the former leader's home for the next eight years, depriving their two boys of any outside interaction until preadolescence. Their choice stemmed exclusively from the need to absolve themselves of any responsibility in the war between them and the Kin-Do Valley Tigers.

Within their quiet, secluded life, the two were very unaware of any happenings in the world, inside the village, or out. The war was taking its toll on the people, especially the poor Tigers. Their numbers were quickly declining due to the Lion's quick and effective tactics, as well as the Tiger's unwillingness to fight. Despite their species' usual parallel actions to the Lions, hence being a widely feared race, the Kin-Do Tigers were an exception; peace was the priority. They valued peace almost as much as the Lions valued honor and prowess. Neither side would give way to their lifestyles, leaving the Tigers vulnerable to genocide.

And despite this, Hazel and Cliff were clueless to the outside world, effectively making them unnecessary obstacles for their tribe or the Tigers to advance in any way. When the family finally left the confines of the manor, they were met with an immense gathering outside the gates. Despite their success in the war, the Lions were suffering. Famine, disease and crime ran rampant throughout the entirety of the land, with nobody to oversee the possible solutions to the problems. Hazel and Cliff had yet to appoint a new premier, leaving the two to solve the problems they had neglected for nearly a decade.

Their first order of business was to... run as fast as they could. They quickly lost the crowd, taking solitude in the only place they could think. Of course, the two decided to act as if nothing were wrong, for the sake of Tanis and Shawn. So, there Hazel was, making her son, husband and nephew breakfast the very next day, trying not to think of these very things.


	9. Burning Bridges

Burning Bridges

A potent aroma assaulted Cliff's unconscious mind, prompting him to awake almost immediately. A sound permeated his hearing; one of such dulcet tones, it struck him in his very soul, shattering his heart, and seducing him so softly that he couldn't help but fall for its spell. Cliff sprung up out of bed, throwing the putrid sheets aside as the angelic tones thrust him into a daydream.

_Welcome to my hide away, my secret place  
_

_How I arrived I can't explain  
_

_You're welcome too, if you want to stay  
_

_But everyone just runs away..._

The voice trailed away, leaving Cliff standing stupidly, his arms dangling before him, his back hunched over forty five degrees, and his mouth wide open. The sudden return of his conscious thoughts brought Cliff back into the world, and he quickly straightened up, closed his mouth, and blinked a few times for clarity. He swallowed wistfully at those beautiful sounds he had heard, hoping for more. None came, no matter how long he waited, but the pleasurable smells from before had strengthened. He resolved to find the source, considering just how hungry he was from last night's exertions.

At that thought, his nose wrinkled disgustingly at another, yet subtler smell right there in the room. He spun his head around this way and that, looking for the source of the putrid culprit.

With a sigh, he gave up and clothed his bare body, careful not to do so too quickly, at the risk of stimulating his morning predicament. With the final, gingerly placement of his rugged pants, Cliff headed off down the hall. He hadn't been in that room for roughly eight years... yet it seemed so familiar and felt like its where he belonged.

_I'm home..._

The curious smells heightened as he neared the stairs to the first floor, though he resisted the temptation to go hunt it down that instant. He stopped at the first door on the left, the guest room, and knocked hesitantly.

"Come on Shawny, time to get up!"

Cliff heard a soft grumble come from inside, where Shawn was surely tossing and turning in his sleep, trying to disregard the loud noises his uncle made to wake him. Cliff chuckled as he knocked again, and a loud groan erupted from within.

"Alright, alright Uncle..."

Cliff smiled to himself, satisfied as the door opened behind him, but he was already off to the next objective. He placed his wide frame in front of his son's doorway at the top of the rickety stairs, and prepared himself to wake Tanis. Just as Cliff cleared his throat and raised his fist to knock, the door swung open, with his young, flat mannered son standing blankly before him. Cliff smiled down at his son and asked excitedly, "Ready to start the day, boy?"

Tanis glared up at his father, not too unkindly and shrugged nonchalantly. Cliff's expression fell as he sighed and took a knee beside his son. "What's wrong?"

The young lion glanced to the side, and asked somewhat naively, "Father, what's going on with the village? They seemed angry with us yesterday."

Cliff's face didn't change one bit, and replied exactly as he thought it was himself, "Oh, of course they're not! I mean, we're the village leaders! They _can't _be mad at us! Your mother and I have everything under control. You and your cousin don't need to worry one bit!"

Tanis sighed and faced his father straight on. He shook his head disgustedly, and spat, "Are you really that stupid? Oh, of course you are... these people have been through war, famine, and countless disease. Crime runs rampant through the village, and what do you do to stop it? Nothing! These people are counting on you to make a difference in their lives! You're the people who are supposed to give them hope!"

Cliff stood up immediately at Tanis' relentless attack and raised his arm to strike Tanis down. Tanis wouldn't have any of it though, as he slammed his fist against the door frame as hard as he could, and surprisingly splintered the wood, raining chunks down on his father's feet. He pushed forward, gathering momentum, "You're supposed to be a role model? To who? Failures? You sure as hell aren't one for me! What do you expect me to turn out as? I know you're hoping I'll become the great heir that you're hoping to follow you! Well, you're damn right! I've seen many things, and learned as much as possible, and I can safely say that I will make one hell of a leader!"

Cliff opened his mouth to speak, but instead lowered his arm, defeated and slouched stupidly as his son passed him in the doorway. "Don't think that that angry mob is the only one out to get you..."

Cliff swallowed at the statement his bold son had made as he left the conversation, leaving his father in complete shambles and whole load on his mind.

After a moment, the smell gathered again in Cliff's nostrils, and he just about forgot the harrowing one sided argument he had just had with Tanis. He floated down the stairs after the wafting aroma, and found himself in the kitchen, where his family had gathered, ready to consume the meal that Hazel had prepared and laid out for them all to enjoy together.

Cliff glanced around frantically for the source of the fragrance, and found it in the pan that Hazel had in her paw, where she was dishing out a serving of whatever amazing meal she had prepared to her boys.

Carefully sidestepping his son, Cliff made his way to his wife, and hugged her around the midsection tightly, her apron accenting the curves of her form against his body; his morning predicament seemingly getting worse at that gesture. Hazel smiled knowingly as she felt her husband's excitement grow, and quickly finished doling out the meal servings.

Tanis and Shawn sat across from each other as they looked down at the surprisingly well made meal. It consisted of some kind of meat or another, slices of a few kinds of fruits, and a quick slosh of oatmeal. Shawn quickly consumed the fruit and slosh, but left the meat to the side as he rested his head on his arm and stared at it, deep in thought. Tanis devoured the meat first thing, and regarded the fruit with a raised lip in disgust. He sniffed the oatmeal and shrugged, and swallowed it all in one fell swoop.

"Auntie, why did you prepare meat?"

Tanis raised a brow at his cousin's inquiry, and turned to his mother for an answer. She was too busy being 'harassed' by Cliff to hear, at which Tanis rolled his eyes and turned away in disgust a his parent's open display of affection.

Shawn pouted in his chair, staring down at the meat in disgust. Tanis reached over the whole of the table, and snatched the remaining food right off of Shawn's plate. Shawn rolled his eyes and asked politely in return, "Are you going to eat your apple, Tanis?"

Tanis snickered and chortled, "Duh, no!"

Poor Shawn sighed and extended a paw for his cousin to place the food in. Tanis shook his head with a laugh and chucked it at Shawn, and all the pieces landed on various spots on the floor, one bouncing off of Shawn's maw before hitting the ground and breaking.

With a sad sigh, Shawn replaced himself from his chair at the table, and set to work cleaning up the mess. Tanis smiled evilly at his cousin as he tore into the flesh on his plate without mercy.

Cliff watched his son apprehensively out of the corner of his eye as he held his wife close, and kissed her neck lovingly over and over again. Hazel tried to suppress a moan of pleasure, but it escaped her maw luckily just as Tanis picked up his previous conversation with his cousin.

"We eat meat, because that's what our ancestors did. Your mother would be out there, hunting that pathetic prey."

Shawn looked up from his work, and unknowingly took the bait as he croaked sadly, "My... my mother?"

Tanis smiled broadly and continued, enjoying his cousin's pain, "Yeah, well, if you _have _a mother..."

Shawn's lips trembled as he looked down at the mess Tanis had made with tears in his eyes, trying to steel himself strong and finish clearing the floor devoid of any mess.

Tanis sighed contently, and decided to continue loudly at his cousin's expense, "If only you'd eat your meat Shawn, like me, you wouldn't look like a girl anymore."

It was true. Tanis had already begun to grow a mane, and at such a premature age. Once again, Tanis left Shawn in the dust; Shawn having yet to even have a few manly mane hairs. Cliff was surprised to find that, nigh on his tenth birthday, Tanis had had his first. Cliff was proud of his son, he sure was shaping up to be a grand young man that he had hoped for. Albeit a few outbursts, Tanis was nothing short of a polite, well behaved young man, all of which his parents accounted to their upbringing of him. Unfortunately for them, that was sure to change over the years, but they had yet to know that. And in that moment, they couldn't care less.

With last night's happenings between the two lovebirds, they couldn't be more frisky and in love. Right in front of the two young boys in their care, they were getting more than a bit inappropriate. Hazel's rampant sensual moaning thankfully didn't seem to faze the boys; they were either deep in thought, or too engrossed in their food to care.

"Ooh, honey..."

Cliff chuckled and released his wife quickly, and to her surprise. She was having too much fun in the moment to want to stop. Cliff teased her and pressed himself into her body tightly, their midsections colliding, making Hazel blush profusely at the protrusion.

"Baby... is that bacon?"

Hazel smiled shyly and nodded slightly as Cliff's mouth spread wide into a smirk of approval.

"Yessssss!"

Cliff flung himself at his plate and sat down at the table between the two boys; Shawn having just sat himself back down after disposing of the wasted food.

Hazel rolled her eyes, but smiled at her enthusiastic husband and sat herself down on the other side of the table before her own place setting.

His mouth filled to the brim, Cliff raised his head to his wife and inquired, "Where'd you get the pig?"

Hazel cocked her head and placed her head on her arm as she muttered, "You know? That's odd... it was just... there."

Cliff stopped chewing to raise a brow and ask impolitely through his food, "What do you mean? We haven't been here in... a while. But there was a perfectly good pig lying around?"

Shawn huffed and muttered, "No, if it were perfectly fine, it would be alive..."

Hazel glared at her nephew and told him roughly, "Now Shawn, if you don't like the food I make, then you just won't eat it!"

Shawn slammed his head on his arms against the table and mumbled, "Fine... I don't like murder anyways."

Cliff eyed the disgruntled little lion angrily, and yelled with food flying to and fro, "Now boy, you don't talk to your Aunt like that! She was nice enough to make you this meal, and you best be grateful!"

Tanis snarled softly and added, "Yeah, because all the other lions in the village don't have that privilege, do they father?"

Cliff sat stock still, ready for another berating from his young son. It didn't come, so he eventually relaxed and laid back in his chair. The room remained quiet for a while after that, at which point Tanis finished his food, and took his plate to the counter. Shawn followed closely behind, leaving the two adults to their own devices.

Hazel glanced at Cliff seductively, and leaned in to him across the table, her lips protruding slightly as if to pout.

Cliff's mind went blank as bits of bacon dribbled from his mouth and into his lap as his beautiful wife slowly blinked her long lashes at him with a broad smile.

Cliff shook his head as a thought invaded his receding consciousness.

"Oh yeah... were you singing before Hazel?"

Hazel's confident, seducing glare receded to a shy, blushing stance. She hastily looked away from her husband's intense, yet curious stare, and muttered as softly as possible, "Yes, I was..."

Cliff maneuvered his chair around the side of the table and next to her own. Hazel stared down ashamedly into her husband's lap, causing her already pink face to turn red as an apple.

Cliff slowly lifted her chin and whispered softly, "It was the most beautiful thing I have ever heard..."

Hazel's lip trembled as she attempted to smile, but she failed and nonetheless wrapped her arms tightly around her lover and closed her eyes. She loved him so much... she loved him more than anything.

Cliff rocked his love back and forth in his arms, humming a short tune all the while. The sun had risen to a remarkable height in that short time, flooding the windows with light and showering the two in somewhat of a halo.

Their thoughts simultaneously drifted unbidden to a place they wished they would never return to.

"What if... what if we have another one?"

Cliff looked down at his wife sadly, and whispered regretfully, "You know what has to be done..."

Hazel teared up at the words, and buried her pretty face in Cliff's chest. Through his fur she cried, "Why... why is that the only option?"

Cliff sighed and stared at the ceiling, at a loss for words. He wanted more than anything to tell her that it would all be okay, that it wouldn't have to come to that, but he knew that would be lying, and who could lie to such a cute face, and live with themselves?

Hazel sniffled into her husband's fur, and clenched her eyes shut, as if that would somehow save her from the possible end to the problem. She didn't know if she was pregnant, and considering it wasn't even a day later, there was no way whatsoever to know, even with a doctor. And after last time, she didn't want to have to face her obstetrician ever again.

The two sat in each other's grasp for the remainder of the hour before they heard the two boys getting restless above. They knew it was time to move along, and get on with their day.

With a massive, sad sigh each, Cliff tore himself from Hazel's grasp, gently releasing her back into her seat. Trying to forget the past, and get on with the future was difficult, but relinquishing himself from his love's grasp was harder. He hated to leave Hazel in such a state, but it was time that they hardened up to the prospect and got over it. Easier said than done, but the two agreed it was the best course of action.

Cliff hurried up the stairs away from Hazel, to give her her space, and to round up the rambunctious little rascals tearing the place apart in their innate inability to be still.

Meanwhile, Hazel busied herself with cleaning up the remainder of the breakfast that she had made, and safely disposing of the leftovers. That entailed throwing them out the window for whatever pests may pick them up, be it a passerby or something else; Hazel couldn't care less.

Finally, the family had gathered together after their respective tasks were completed. The boys were eager to get back into the world, and investigate all that had possibly changed. The ordeal was a lot bigger of a deal for the two children, while the two adults acted like it was any ordinary day. Though, it was much more than that. In all honesty, after eight full years of seclusion, they were all feeling excess amounts of apprehension.

Without further delay, Cliff opened the door of their home, and led the family out into the unknown, ready or not for whatever possible things they would find out there in the world.


	10. Emergence

Emergence

The bright morning sun shone warmly down onto the family as they strode from the confines of their home and out into their small but dense village. Their home resided at the very far edge of the town, propped snugly within a little cove carved within the mountainous rock. A gift: from the Ko-Ri Valley Lions' First Son to his beloved daughter.

Expecting nothing less than a large mob outside their less than humble abode, the two adults seemed surprisingly loose in their disposition towards the outside world. Their son and nephew; the two well aware of the possible proceedings, were nonetheless eager to be out on their own in the streets that they had once known so well. Now, the dilapidated buildings and decaying streets were nothing if not a whole new frontier for the two boys; an unfortunate thing that was not foreseen.

To the small group's vast surprise, there was nothing but the gentle breeze pushing and pulling the leaves along the drive, whispering softly when making contact with the cobble below.

Hazel and Cliff exchanged worried glances while their young son and nephew looked around curiously and the changed world they now had free reign to explore. The two charged onward, chasing after one another through the streets, gales of laughter waving back to the adults. The couple smiled lovingly after their boys, and held each other close as they strolled carelessly through the arbor. The sun shone brightly through the branches and leaves, casting shadows across their bodies and warming their fur.

Hazel reached up and rustled Cliff's broad mane, and he closed his eyes blissfully to the feeling of his love's claws gently scratching behind his ear. His primal instinct giving way to his civilized and mannered ways and he released a pleased groan. Having received his end of the happy feeling this lovely day was generating between the two, Cliff reached behind his wife and slowly rubbed her back with the smooth pads upon his otherwise weathered paw. Hazel smiled, satisfied at the gesture, and began to purr in the depths of her throat.

* * *

Meanwhile, the two friends ran faster and faster in their careless game of tag, soon reaching the other side of the village, much too far from their elders' supervision. Tanis smiled broadly at his cousin as he tagged him for the win, leaving Shawn to groan sadly.

"Aww... you always win!"

Tanis grinned maliciously and laughed, "Ha! I do! If you weren't slow as a pig, then maybe you'd stand a chance!"

Shawn scowled at the sly yet subtle reference to the morning's argument between the two. Of which was unanimously decided that Tanis had won, however much Shawn wished to deny such.

The two skidded to a halt as they reached the other end of town, that was nothing but far apart farm houses; the place for the poor. Well, it was for the poor, but it seemed that with the neglect the village had been facing coupled with the war, the whole entire town was about filled to the brim with begging bums. The land wasn't doing well either; there had been a year long drought, leaving all the fields dried and devoid of any kind of life. That left the hungry and desperate lions to venture to neighboring villages and pillage, rape, murder, and most of all conquer. Without their new leaders' knowledge, the Ko-Ri lions had expanded their territory beyond one hundred times the size it was before the problems began. Seemingly, the tiger's village was the only one left behind, sitting nice and comfortable within the Kin-Do valley a day's hike away. A few hundred square kilometers, and there was nothing but death and destruction. Needless to say, with all the new resources and land, the lions were more than happy to expand their numbers. The breeding increased exponentially, mostly due to the lion's old habits of polygamy. Whole scores of lionesses would be courted with a lucky alpha male, yet they all still pledged dying allegiance to their leaders; of whom they had yet to know was Cliff and Hazel. The two of them were in for more than a surprise when they found out...

After much silence, the two lovebirds had finally made their way to the center of the village, completely unprepared for what was waiting for their very arrival.

* * *

"Tanis, we should really go back. We shouldn't be out here, its not safe. Anyone can come into the village this way, who know's what we'll find?"

Tanis ignored his cousin's reasonable doubt and continued forth, looking around all the nooks and crannies that he could stick his curious little head into. Shawn sighed deeply and ran after Tanis, ready to try and persuade against delving further into the now slums of the village. Tanis led his unsuspecting cousin right into the trap he had laid out for him. Though, he himself was going to get quite a surprise...

* * *

Hazel and Cliff wandered through the buildings they had been so familiar with in their youth. It saddened them to find the streets were no longer as picture perfect as in their memories. The cobbled roads were falling to pieces, yet the buildings fared no better. Many were abandoned, or neglected to such an extent it was difficult to tell the difference.

"Its our fault, isn't it?"

Cliff sighed at the question, and merely pondered the same thing within himself.

Hazel sighed when her husband didn't reply, but merely whispered, "Its so sad to think how much things have changed over the years..."

Cliff smiled down at her lovingly and despite the discrepancy of feelings, whispered back, "Things happen. There was no way we could have foreseen such an outcome. I still stand by what we did. Our family comes first, right?"

Hazel shook her head and retreated slightly from Cliff's tight grasp around her waist. "I-I don't know anymore..."

The two stood in silence, merely taking in their eerily familiar yet simultaneously unrecognizable surroundings.

"There they are!"

Hazel and Cliff stiffened at the sudden shrill voice that assaulted their strong ears. They spun around to see a withered, yet still youthful lioness pointing at the two with a wavering claw. To their utmost surprise, Cliff and Hazel were quickly engulfed inside a massive crowd which filed out from the seemingly vacant buildings of the town square. Seemingly, the entirety of the remainder of the villagers had been waiting patiently for their prey to wander right into the heart of the trap. Lions filed from allies and paths all around the square, surrounding their new leaders in what would be assumed an aggressive manner. Hazel grasped her husband's arm as tightly as she could, but she felt herself being pried away from her love mercilessly, and being placed at the center of the crowd. Cliff was torn away from Hazel, yet somehow ended up right beside her as the crowd dissolved away from them, but not before propping them upright against each other on an elevated platform. Hazel opened her eyes hesitantly, expecting the worse, perhaps facing her death, but instead looked down into the eyes of an immense crowd of revering subjects. Cliff did the same, back to Hazel, yet he too looked on into a packed, silent crowd awaiting for either of the two to address them.

Hazel swallowed, eyes wide in fear, and hastily scanned the crowd for any kind of signal to their intent. There was none, as the crowd was merely standing before them, quiet beyond belief, waiting to hang onto their every word.

Cliff raised his paws slightly to signify his non-intent for harm to befall anyone. The crowd burst out cheering, waving articles of torn clothing about, roaring to the sky, and praising the name of their forefathers.

"Praise Ragnarok! Praise Taka!"

* * *

Shawn nervously raced after Tanis through the outskirts of the village, when a large amount of cheering erupted from the center of the village.

Tanis stopped curiously, leaving Shawn to crash into his cousin, eliciting a growl of anger from him.

"Watch it, will you?"

Shawn nodded quickly and placed himself beside his cousin. Tanis stared off to the source of the sound, and internally hoped that his parents were caught up in whatever mess was occurring in the plaza.

"What is that?"

Tanis shook his head and laughed lowly, "Well, good thing we had gone around there."

Shawn fiddled with his paws nervously and mumbled, "What if Auntie and Uncle are there? Shouldn't we help?"

His cousin flung his arm aside to denote just how much he cared. Absolutely nothing at all.

Shawn groaned his displeasure at Tanis' obvious disregard for his parent's safety. Once Tanis set off once again, Shawn gave one last glance to the sounds before padding his way along towards Tanis, and one step closer to the outskirts of their town.

* * *

A lone, scraggly lion stepped forward from the mass of the crowd and perched himself on the side of the platform. The ragged figure raised his arms to the sky and roared deafeningly to silence the seemingly endless crowd's celebration.

"Quiet now! You're in the presence of your King and Queen!"

The immediate disappearance of the crowd, now deathly silent, left Hazel and Cliff to shake their heads in confusion. They were still unaware of the proceedings before them. They had figured they were to be strung up, or something similar. Their apparent negligence to their duties had obviously left the village a mess.

The speaker had melted back into the crowd; just another face added to the mass. The silence rang in the ears of the onlookers, their leaders' speechlessness finally getting to their innately short patience.

"Speech!"

An unseen speaker's daring will was immediately squashed by those surrounding him. He dared to command something from their leaders? With a cry of pain, his insolence was soon extinguished. The poor lion's demise was met by a subtle cheer from those who had performed the horrid act. The surprising ferocity of the scene that played out before her only led Hazel to become more afraid. Though it was obvious at this point that the crowd had no intention to hurt them, Hazel was nonetheless shocked and disturbed.

Cliff looked over the reverent, expectant expression of so numerous crowd members and realized that despite the unwanted outburst, they fell right in line behind wanting some kind of address from himself or his wife.

Cliff glanced down at the lion that had boldly stepped forth to silence the crowd before, and he gave a quick nod of encouragement.

With newly acquired vigor and confidence, Cliff displaced himself from his spot on the stage, and began to pace across its length, deep in thought. A paw on his chin, he stopped at the edge of the stage and looked across the crowd into the many faces, the vast majority of which were even younger than his son. That in itself made him curious as to what could have caused such a large influx of youngsters. The village itself wasn't exactly in the kind of condition that would prompt people to bring more mouths to feed into their already struggling family. Something he would have to answer to, he was sure.

Cliff opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came to mind. "Eh... how about we hear from The Great Ragnarok's own! Hazel, if you would..."

Hazel flinched at her name, having been in a deep state of shock. Her husband's voice was the only thing that prompted her from her comatose state. Cliff quickly fell behind her to evade her deathly gaze, but she nonetheless quickly gathered herself and nervously stood out before the crowd to improvise some kind of speech.

"Well... I have nothing but questions."

Cliff slapped his paws to his face, but Hazel continued regardless.

"I remember when my father had just begun to learn all about what it meant to be a leader. I was very young at the time, as was my father to have such a responsibility. He took it on head first, and I know very well that you all regard him with such respect and reverence, I find it hard to ever live up to. In a sense, I was hoping I wouldn't have to have that responsibility, but I know that I can't look back now."

"We're a people built upon three things: Strength, honor and prosperity. I find no greater pride than when I look out across the land to see just how that stands true. Within the short time our people has lived on this land, we have accomplished so much. I see such potential in the young ones here, and I know you'll all go on to do so many great things. I wholeheartedly believe such."

Hazel finished with a smile, relieved to see that she had apparently not disappointed. A thought came to mind though, and she decided to continue forth.

"Now, the memories of my father are still very fresh in my own mind. I know that you all won't forget him soon enough. I'm sure you're wondering just what we're going to do about those _damned_ tigers..."

The crowd erupted in a mixture of cheers and feral roars; as she had suspected, Hazel had touched on a very important subject to the people.

"Those, who are responsible for his very demise. I have no pity for them for they are nothing but evil. I had the unfortunate will to be in the very room where my father was mercilessly murdered. Those... monsters killed without a thought, without remorse. I wish only to show them the same! They have no right to live for what they did to us, not even their little spawn. For they too, will grow to be the horrible, pitiless beasts of their predecessor."

Hazel's words sunk deep into every onlooker, with her passionate speech ingrained within her own self. She spoke with such resolve and anger, yet she couldn't allow herself to believe it herself. She knew the truth. But to tell the truth, would be much worse... right?

With a deep breath and a glance at her awestruck husband, Hazel finished off her speech in a deathly quiet voice. The crowd now hung on her every word, having finally succumbed to silence.

"Let it be known: I refuse to rest until that monstrosity of a race is exterminated!"

* * *

Ignoring the sounds that resonated from the center of town, the two boys ran further and further away, towards the very limits of their village.

"Tanis, please... I don't think we're supposed to be out here!"

Tanis stopped short at his cousin's words and turned around to face him with a malicious smile.

"Don't you know where you are?"

Shawn swallowed and shook his head curiously. Their surroundings were too horribly decrepit to be recognizable.

Tanis groaned and rolled his eyes at Shawn's apparent idiocy. Things were crystal clear to him, despite only being in this area of the town only a few times before, and that was when he was no more than a toddler.

Shawn titled his head and narrowed his eyes at the building that Tanis was madly gesturing to. "I'm trying to think..."

Tanis let loose a small growl and slapped a paw to his face. "Are you really that stupid Shawn?"

With a chuckle, Tanis gathered himself back together and whispered evilly in his cousin's ear, "Home sweet home..."


	11. Forgotten Memories

Forgotten Memories

Hazel remained at the forefront of the stage as the ecstatic crowd eventually melted away into the allies and streets, to once again fill up the decrepit and desecrated buildings that once stood strong and tall as a testament of Ragnarok's impactful grace.

Her chest heaving to and fro, Hazel watched her people's spirits rise from their lowly place among the worst her society had to offer. Now, she witnessed families reunited, relationships rekindled, and most importantly, her village taking back the prideful place it once held. Never in a lifetime would she have thought something that she had said herself would make such a difference. The mere contemplation of what she and her husband meant to these people pulled at her heart; the very knowledge of her neglect for these poor souls making matters so much more painful to realize.

Cliff slowly returned to his rightful place beside his wife, and placed a light paw upon her shoulder to comfort her. Hazel raised her head to face Cliff, and lowered her eyes in confusion. "We... we did a good thing, right?"

Cliff wasn't sure to what she was referring, but he knew that after what she had just achieved, that Hazel deserved nothing short of the best. In whatever sense that may be, he intended for it to come to fruition.

"Of course we did..."

Hazel retreated slightly at his words, and stared at the ground through heavily lidded gaze. With a slight sigh, she shook her head sorrowfully and turned to her husband with such conviction in her coming words.

"When I looked out across those people, with so many so young... I have to think: was what we did; in our flat out disregard for our duties... the right thing to do? The mere misunderstanding and fear of our forced hand, is it justified? Such innocent, admiring faces... they won't leave me be!"

Hazel shivered as she wrapped her arms around herself to find some kind of comfort from the thoughts that refused to permeate her mind and leave a bitter feeling on her psyche. Her dead green eyes watched the unmoving floorboards beneath her as the once soothing realization of her success had fallen into an endless pit of sorrow and regret.

Cliff didn't quite understand how she had decayed to such a state within the duration of mere minutes. He was still reveling within their victory; the seemingly necessary winning of their people's hearts had still to leave. Its false mark of prideful victory too much for Cliff to see past and accept the things that were bothering his beloved's thoughts: fear, uncertainty and most prominently, regret.

Hazel's sanity seemed to fall away when she collapsed to the ground, trying to snuffle out the tears that refused to obey her wishes, and nonetheless floated down through her fur and her chin to her clothes.

"Hazel, what's wrong?"

Cliff's soft inquiry did nothing to soothe Hazel's nerves, as they were on the verge of breaking. She hastily wiped away the tears to face her confused and worried lover, and slowly wrapped her arms around Cliff's broad torso. She buried her head in his chest and whispered deathly quiet, "I... I was so scared. I thought they were going to kill us, for what we had done to them."

"We did what we thought was right. You're not still doubting that, are you?"

Hazel closed her eyes at her husband's refusal to understand, and hesitantly asked, "Do you really think that our family... our dear boys... do they really matter, when the sanctity of the people's faith is at stake? What else do they have for courage, for inspiration and comfort, than us? We neglected the very responsibility we had sworn to take."

Cliff shook his head sadly, and muttered, "I thought what we did was right, and I still stand by it. How can you not accept the things we did? They're long into the past now, and nothing can be done about them. The things I've done... for you, for our boy... it can't be all for nothing."

* * *

Across the village, at the very edge of its boundaries, stood little Shawn and Tanis. The former was stuck in a state of disbelief. His old family home sat before him, broken, burnt, and desecrated. He felt as if he were losing his parents all over again. The faint memories he had of the place were thrown into the forefront of his mind, leaving him slack jawed with tears forming in his dull eyes.

Next to him, Tanis watched his cousin's expressions with utter delight. The exploitation of Shawn's weakness was something of a high for the little creature; a mere shadow of things to come.

"Why... why would you show me this?"

Tanis rolled his eyes and replied flatly, "I thought you might like to see it."

Shawn wiped away a tear that was coalescing on his cheek, and turned to face his cousin angrily. "N-no... you just wanted to see me h-hurt."

"Shawny, your parents left you. They obviously didn't care for you. Its time for you to face the truth and get over it. This... is how."

With a slight gesture at the barely recognizable structure, Tanis then turned away from it, leaving Shawn to do as he wished.

The troubled little lion stared at it warily, with his snout trembling sadly as he recalled all the memories he could of the place. Now that he was back, he realized that he had never wanted to return in the first place. The thing held too many memories, most of them attributed with pain and neglect.

_Perhaps Tanis was right... my parents didn't care for me. _

With a sad sigh, Shawn trekked into the dilapidated structure, expecting nothing more than redemption and release from the memories of his past.


	12. Truth Be Told

Truth Be Told

Hazel allowed herself to succumb to Cliff's ominously spoken words, very unsure of the situation. She knew that he had intended for them to be comforting and confirming, but that was the very opposite of their current effect. They hung over her head as if to force her to join her husband's perspective, and however tempting that was to her, Hazel refused to see past her own reservations. Thought it seemed as if Cliff didn't have any, Hazel was sure that he would. This was no easy prospect; to be so sure of a decision would be foolish and naive, and that was one thing Cliff was not. He would always prepare precautions for any kind of situation and this was surely no different.

"You're... sure about that?"

Cliff tilted his head downward in order to get a clear view of his wife's shimmering face. The sun was reaching its spot for noon, and its bright rays spread out across Hazel's saddened face, forcing her to squint, hindering Cliff's agile ability to read her thoughts through her normally vibrant expressions.

"Of course I am. You know the things we've done... what _I've _done. I'm sure I wouldn't be able to survive in my life if I didn't accept the inevitable _truth_."

Hazel lowered her eyes sadly, becoming less sure of her suspicions.

"Even if that truth is fabricated? Even if its just a lie?"

Cliff sighed and closed his eyes to whisper confirmation, "Even if its just a lie..."

Despite Hazel having had to calm down, her nerves were returning. Cliff's resolute response made her unsure of her own thoughts. Why was it so hard for her to decide? The answer should be right in front of her: wouldn't she do anything for Cliff, for her family? Undoubtedly that was his justification.

Cliff opened his eyes from his thoughts and looked into Hazel's own, which were wandering to and fro in search of a clear cut answer. Of course, there was none. The lion wondered just what his beautiful, confused wife was contemplating. Perhaps what had just transpired was enough to change her mind, but not his. It was obvious, wasn't it? Did she not hold him in the same regards as he did her? The love of his life... she _was_ his life. He had already planted the notion that he would do anything for her. He had hoped at the time that she wouldn't abuse that. The more he thought about it, she could be manipulative, but he was still sure that everything that they had done was for the greater good of their family, as a whole. Taking in their little Shawn was a prime example, and the mere remembrance of the event was quite painful to recall.

Pushing the thought aside for the moment, he broke through to his wife and shook her gently to bring her forth from her likely painful thoughts. Hazel shook her head slightly to clear her head and glanced up to Cliff blankly. "You don't... you don't even consider what was done to others? What about our own people? We were sworn to protect and guide them... what had we been doing for the last several years? Surely not that."

Cliff grimaced subtly and roved his gaze around for a clear answer. There wasn't one, but he nonetheless stood behind his choice. Unsure of how to explain things to his love; her stubborn nature getting in the way of the explanation, he merely answered, "We did what we had to, why can't you see that?"

"Was it necessary to condemn a whole people in order to secure the safety of one child?"

Cliff retracted his grasp and thrust Hazel away from him, suddenly angry. "_What did you just say?_ You would want Tanis to suffer for something that those damned Tigers created?"

Hazel lowered her gaze and rubbed her arm with her opposite paw nervously, and mumbled, "There wasn't even a reason for what Tanis did."

"It just happened, huh? What, next you're going to tell me that he's just an ordinary child."

Hazel sighed in return and turned herself away from Cliff, afraid of any retaliation. "He... scares me. To know what he'll turn into scares me."

Cliff's lips rippled in a silent growl as he passed the obvious through his fangs. "You don't know what he will become. For all you know, he's the one that this tribe needs. He can fix it, he's shown initiative. He'll know what to do."

Hazel shook her head adamantly and spun around to whisper bravely, "No. You know that he's not... right. He'll turn our people into nothing but a militant force. They deserve better than that, don't they?"

"Where's your faith?"

Hazel was beginning to grow frustrated with where the conversation was headed. "Its long gone, along with your morals."

That statement right there took Cliff over the edge. Hazel was nothing more than an ungrateful little... "Bitch!"

Hazel retracted at the word, a feeling of despair plaguing her mind. She had lost Cliff. Tears feel from her eyes with no will to stop them. Never before had she been treated as such by Cliff. She knew she was crossing a thin line, but she didn't think he would go so far as to resort to slapping her pride with that solitary word. It hurt her more than any retaliation that he would be willing to dish out physically.

"You stay here and grovel in your self pity, I'm going to go and find Tanis and Shawn... you know, our boys that I suffered and bled for this last decade without a second thought for my own well being."

* * *

The two little lions rushed into the broken and forgotten home without hesitation. Shawn pushed aside the dry rotten door with ease, and crouched beneath a fallen beam from the ceiling. Tanis followed shortly behind, a grim smile on his face as he watched his cousin's every desperate move to recover any memories that could be lost inside the wreckage.

Shawn stopped his excessive searching short of the small living room, and stared off at the shredded and collapsed couch where he was unknowingly conceived. "Wh-what happened here?"

Tanis stepped aside Shawn's slackened form and shrugged nonchalantly, "I dunno. Fire maybe?"

Shawn sadly kneeled beside the furniture and swept up a small pile of dirt and ash in his paws and then allowed it to filter to the ground between his fingers. "Who would do this?"

His cousin rolled his eyes and kicked at the pile accumulating on the ground in front of Shawn. The fibers and fragments flew into the air and settled on whatever the static figments could grasp onto, namely, Shawn's grimy fur.

Tanis received a disappointed scowl, and laughed quietly at the surrounding devastation. He loved nothing more than to see his cousin suffer, especially if it were by his own will.

Suddenly, something caught the curious boy's eye, and he sloshed through the mess to the next room through the hall. Navigating his way to the doorway and into the narrow hallway, Tanis kept his gaze on the mysterious object. It wasn't something shiny or out of place, it was the mere fact that the object was perfectly clean.

"Shawny, I don't think we're alone."

Shawn flinched through his thoughts at his cousin's voice, and hastily made a response. "Wh-what do you mean?"

Tanis sighed, annoyed, and muttered, "Just come here."

The depressed lion made his way through his old family home, unsure of where to go in the unfamiliar wreckage of it all. He desperately hissed back to his cousin, "Where?"

Tanis gritted his teeth in annoyance and whispered angrily, "Down the hall, you twat!"

The two boys jumped at a sudden voice in an adjoining room, "Now boys, don't be shy."

A stunning lone pure white wolf emerged from the room that Shawn used to inhabit, with a small, sleeping child in her arms that looked as if it could be her clone.

Tanis regarded the intruding woman with an air of disapproval, while Shawn shook in his place, scared of the proceedings. This was his old home, and surely this woman wasn't welcome in the village. Her hiding only affirmed his suspicions of such.

"Wh-who are you?"

Tanis stepped forward authoritatively and practically yelled, "And what are you doing here, your kind isn't welcome!"

The wolf advanced slowly, her eyes on the child in her arms as she lowered it to the boy's level. "Why don't you two come say hello to Shaunty?"

Shawn fiddled uncomfortably with his fingers as he avoided any eye contact with the mysterious wolf. Tanis on the other hand, stared flatly into her face and growled successfully, "Answer the question!"

The woman smiled broadly, showing her pearly white sharp fangs. She raised her head to address the request, revealing her overwhelming blue gaze. Shawn squealed and immediately looked away to the wall, his whole body shaking in fear.

Tanis maintained his stare, the wolf's own boring straight into his head. Neither would budge, but even Tanis had his breaking point. His eyes faded out of focus, and eventually he tore his gaze away to the floor through another rough but quiet growl, asked wondrously "Who are you?"

The beautiful wolf smiled down at the child, then at the two boys, and replied with her strikingly clear and vibrant voice, "I am Aniu. This is my home."

The last sentence brought Shawn away from his nervous mental stupor, and yelled back unhindered, "No! Its mine!"

Aniu laughed softly, eliciting a shiver from the two boys unwillingly. Something about the woman scared Shawn, and yet the same instances intrigued Tanis. Moments passed as the boys gathered themselves together, yet it was Aniu who spoke up first.

"Well, I think someone will be looking for you. I think its best for all of us if we kept this a secret. I hope to see you boys soon, okay? Come and play with my little girl sometime! Perhaps we can get to know each other. Just remember not to tell anyone, or bad things could happen to me and my Shaunty... you wouldn't want that, would you?"

Shawn reflexively shook his head and muttered mindlessly, "No ma'am."

Tanis raised his head to continue the unnerving staring contest, but the wolf had already faded away into a darkened room behind where she was standing, and the two of them had had a scare enough to not want to explore the wrecked building any further.

The two of them quickly vacated the house, with Shawn leaving a yearning glance back as they ran as fast as they could.


End file.
